Eternal Sunshine
by Cali Nikson
Summary: After finding out that Rachel had her erased from her memory, Quinn decides to undergo the same overnight procedure. But once the happy memories begin to pass her by, she realizes she just made a horrible mistake. Full summary inside. Complete.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee characters. I do not own Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I do not own a cat and I do not own a dog.**

**This is AU because one, The Glee Gods choose to ignore the undeniable sexual chemistry between Rachel and Quinn and two, I believe it is fairly impossible to erase memories from your brain, but you never know. This is also set in the future, but the past is definitely revisited.**

**Summary: After two and a half years, their relationship, in the end, could not stand the test of time. ****When Quinn finds out that a heartbroken Rachel underwent a procedure that erased not only their relationship, but her entire existence from her memory, she is devastated. In order to get over the pain, she undergoes the same overnight process. But as the memories begin to pass her by and she revisits the times where they were happy and perfectly in love, she worries that she made a horrible mistake. **

**A/N: Yes...this is a story inspired by the brilliant movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. One of my favorites. If you've seen the movie then you pretty much know the basis of the story, however if you've never seen nor heard of it then this will be interesting (hopefully). You do not need to watch the movie before reading this fic, actually it might be better if you don't, but you should still watch it sometime in your life. And if you've already seen it, watch it again because seriously, the movie's awesome. **

**Also, do not expect all the chapters to be this long. Please God no. This is only a very long prologue, but this could probably help you imagine how long this story is going to be. I mean, I have about three years of a friendship/relationship to tell...in reverse. So it's going to be pretty long. I have to warn you all: I have about three million books lined up that I want to read, classes that start in a little more than a week, I am distracted fairly easily, I have to squeez sleep somewhere in there, and I'm writing this story as I'm posting it so updates will be spread out, but hopefully not too far. New Years Resolution is to finish this story...and quite possibly the other stories I have. Anyways. Go forth. Read. Ponder. Enjoy.**

Quinn's eyes snapped open to the sound of her cell phone. She groaned and buried her head into her pillow to get away from the annoying ring, reaching blindly over to her nightstand. Her fingers closed on the piece of plastic and she answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Wake the _fuck_ up, Fabray."

Quinn winced at the piercing voice, her hand reflexively bringing the phone away from her ear. She glanced at the clock and had to refrain from throwing it across the room because of the stupid green 6:00 the glared back at her. It took everything in her to keep herself from throwing her cell phone and Santana's stupid voice right out of the fucking window. Instead she gave a small, tired whine and closed her eyes, burrowing her head under her pillow.

"Oh my god, Santana, what the hell. It's six o'clock in the morning."

The line went silent. "Fuck. You."

Quinn chuckled. "Is Brittany okay with that?"

"Hey, shove it up your ass, blondie. This is your fucking wake up call. So get out of your lovely queen sized bed and get ready. I will beat the shit out of you if you miss your flight because I do not like waking up at _six o'clock_ in the fucking morning. On a Saturday_. _For _your_ lazy ass." Santana growled.

Quinn turned on her back and stared blankly at her ceiling, happily drowning out Santana's voice with her thoughts. Or lack of thoughts. She almost forgot that she was going back to Ohio today. She turned her head to the side and looked around the bedroom of her apartment (benefits of her father's guilt money) in a daze; something wasn't right. Her bags were packed and lined up neatly by the bedroom door. Her plane ticket was on her nightstand next to her keys and the clothes she planned on wearing were folded up and placed on the armchair in the corner of the room. Very neat. Very organized. One look at her calendar told her that she had finished the last of her finals yesterday morning, _thank God_, so she should feel relieved and excited for a much needed vacation. But she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was out of place or missing. And, honestly, she just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Q, you better not be asleep!"

Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Can you give me a fucking second to wake up, please?"

She placed her head into her hands with a soft groan, rubbing small circles on her temples. She was _so_ exhausted and felt so light headed, it was taking her a while to find her bearings.

"Are you alright, Quinn?" Santana asked quietly, her voice concerned. Quinn raised an amused eyebrow, her lips quirking upward.

"I'm sorry, what did you just call me?"

Santana paused before answering. "Your name?"

Quinn bit her lip to hold back her curious laughter. In all the years that Quinn has known the Latina, she could count the number of times Santana has said her first name on her hands, with a few fingers to spare. It only came out when she was very concerned or sad, which are emotions Santana shoves in the very dark depths of the black hole that is her heart.

"Are you high?"

"_What_? No, bitch, are you stupid?"

Quinn laughed. "I'm fine, S. My finals just took a lot out of me."

Santana was silent, Quinn almost checked to see if she lost the call before she spoke again in a more casual tone, but still with a tiny, _tiny_, sliver of concern.

"What did you do yesterday?"

Quinn turned on her side and closed her eyes, smiling as she breathed in the comforting scent of her pillow. She thought back to the day before and it didn't surprise her that her memory lacked many details; they all blended together now. It didn't worry her, it's just what happens when people get older. Everyone becomes so used to the tedious days and gets so caught up in school, work and life that time just flies by unnoticed. She remembered every detail of her time in California so vividly she could paint it with her eyes closed and maybe even do a rough sketch of the decade or so that she lived in Lima as a little girl. The last two years of high school that she spent back in Ohio and the first year and a half in college at NYU were nothing but a few very blurry photographs.

So what did she do yesterday? That required time to think.

"Turned in my last final, went to work to get my paycheck, came home, packed and went to sleep." Quinn ran through the list again in her head before nodding. "That's it."

"That's it?" Santana asked carefully.

"You know me, San. I lead a very dull and very boring life." _And very lonely _was on the tip of her tongue but she'd keep that to herself. She's used to being lonely, has been for years. Bringing it up would only prompt Santana to push her into getting into a relationship and tease her relentlessly for her solo lifestyle. And it was six o'clock in the fucking morning, way too early for a love life lecture, especially one from her extremely snarky best friend.

"I highly doubt that's true," Santana grumbled.

She heard Santana sigh on the other end and a sleepy voice that could only be Brittany, who was, no doubt, sleeping right next to her.

"Brittany wants to talk to you."

Quinn couldn't keep the affectionate smile from crossing her face. "Put her on."

There was a small shuffle before the tired, but still bubbly girl greeted her.

"Hi, Quinn."

"Hey you."

"Are you still hurting?"

Quinn furrowed her brow; sure she was tired and disoriented (if that was even the best word to describe it), but hurt? She was hurt? She tried to think back to their previous conversations but was coming up with nothing. She could hear Santana scold Brittany in the background and the corner of her lips began to turn upwards. As confused as she was, it was always nice to have someone worry about her.

"I'm perfectly fine, B. I'm not hurting at all."

Brittany sighed. "That's good. I don't like it when you're hurting."

"I don't like it either."

"Good," Brittany's smile could be heard through the phone. "I love you."

Quinn grinned. "I love you, too. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Okay," Brittany mumbled. "I'm going back to sleep now."

Quinn giggled as Santana came back onto the phone.

"Alright, bitch, seriously. Get ready. Do not miss your flight because I will not be picking your ass up from James Cox at any other time."

"But you will when I tell you to," Quinn grinned. "I'm getting ready now. I should be landing at around ten. Don't be late, I won't appreciate that."

"Am I ever late for anything?"

The blonde huffed a laugh. "Are you being serious right now?"

"Whatever, just hurry the fuck up."

Quinn rolled her eyes and ended the call.

She sat up, swung her legs off of the bed and ran her fingers through her bed ridden hair. Her neck was sore from sleeping on her back and she winced when she turned her head to look at her clock. She had about thirty minutes before she needed to leave. She stood up and looked around her small bedroom. It was painfully plain, there were holes in the walls where she assumed pictures or paintings were supposed to go but hadn't gotten around to putting them up. A year and a half in this apartment and it still didn't feel like home to her. She had her friends. She had Santana, Brittany, Kurt, Tina and Mike, and occasionally Puck and Sam. New York was great, it was fun. But she felt absolutely disconnected. She actually wanted to go back home to the godforsaken town of Lima, where the heart is. Or something like that.

She quickly got dressed, fixed her hair and took her bags into the living room before walking into the bathroom to finish getting ready. She froze in the doorway.

The mirrored cabinet over her sink was cracked; creating a near spider web effect reaching to the wooden frame around it, and with just one glance, there was no evidence of what may have caused it. She carefully walked further into the bathroom, her eyes darting around searching for a fallen object or just _something_ that could explain what happened. There was _nothing_ out of place, there were no rocks or foreign objects lying around, the window was closed so a bird couldn't have flown in during the night. And she's a light sleeper; if something broke the glass, she would've heard it.

A knock on the door shocked her from her thoughts and she quickly, but carefully, pulled the mirror forward to grab her toothbrush and began brushing her teeth before running to the door. She looked through the peephole and smiled at the sight of her very tired and disgruntled friend before opening the door.

"Good morning, Max."

The shorter girl leaned against the doorframe, her dirty blonde hair tied up in a loose ponytail, her glasses perched precariously on the tip of her nose. Blue-green eyes glared at Quinn from over the brim of the coffee cup in her hand as she took a sip.

"I hate you so much right now."

Quinn smirked. "You could've at least brought me some coffee," she said, pointing to the cup with her toothbrush.

"I did," Max took a lengthy gulp before handing it to Quinn. "Here you go. Don't worry about paying me back."

"You're so kind."

"Well, you look like you have rabies. "

Quinn beamed playfully, baring her foamy teeth at Max, who chuckled, before setting the cup down on the coffee table. "I'm just finishing getting ready. I'll be done in a few minutes."

Max followed her back to her bathroom, dragging her feet. She instantly perked up when she saw the mirror.

"Oh my God, what the _hell_ happened in here?"

Quinn looked into the mirror again and shrugged before spitting the minty foam into the sink.

"I have no idea."

Max hummed in thought and stared curiously at Quinn as she finished brushing her teeth. Quinn straightened up after rinsing out her mouth and spotted Max looking at her in the mirror, noticing the way she worried her bottom lip with her teeth.

"What?"

Max seemed to snap out of a daze. "What?"

"You want to ask me something." Quinn turned around to look at her with a small knowing grin.

The shorter girl pursed her lips. "And suddenly I don't care very much anymore."

"Come on. You don't have to lie to me."

"But it's always funnier if I do."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Just ask me."

"Well, after all this banter, it's just going to seem anticlimactic."

Quinn grabbed the hand towel and threw it at her, smiling brightly when it hit the other woman in the face. Max caught the cloth in her hands before it fell to the floor, trying to look annoyed, but couldn't prevent the upturn of her lips. She sighed and dramatically rolled her eyes when Quinn crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"Fine. How are you?"

Quinn blinked. "That's it?"

"I know. Anticlimactic, right?"

"I'm fine," Quinn narrowed her eyes, "Why?"

Max glanced at the mirror. "I don't know. You've got a cabinet that looks like someone rammed their face into it, but you don't know how it happened, but you have a memory like an elephant and it's not like you ever sleep."

Quinn turned back to look at the mirror and had to admit that it was a little odd. Something definitely hit it, it would be something anyone would remember happening or doing. "Well, I've been pretty busy with work and school. Maybe it happened while I was gone." _Lies. Kind of._

"Maybe." Max's eyes lit up and she smiled. "Anyways, how'd the final go?"

"Swimmingly," Quinn answered, thankful for the change of topic. She grabbed the rest of her toiletries before walking past Max and into the living room. "My professor really liked it. It's going in the art show when school rolls around again."

"Well, I must admit it _was_ a beautiful piece of work, my lady. I was so moved. Close to tears, I swear it."

"You flatter me."

"I know. Clearly I'm still half asleep," Max smirked at her before plopping down on her couch and grabbing the coffee cup again.

"Hey. Stop drinking my coffee."

"But you just brushed your teeth. It's going to taste disgusting if you drink it now and I'm not about to let this absolute godsend get cold," Max closed her eyes and moaned as she took another sip. "Oh god, it's so good. It's like a hot, liquid heaven."

Quinn chuckled and shook her head as she grabbed her keys and a couple of duffle bags by her feet. "Come on, bitch, help me bring this stuff to the car."

* * *

"So."

"So?"

Max watched silently as Quinn doodled into her sketchbook. She looked up, her eyebrow arched expectantly.

"What did you do yesterday?"

Quinn shrugged and went back to her drawing, erasing some of the random lines. "Nothing. Turned in my final, got paid, went home, packed, slept."

"That's it?"

Quinn looked back up at Max, her eyebrows furrowed curiously.

"Yes, is that not enough?"

Max shrugged and decided to drop the conversation. She scanned the crowd around them as they sat outside of the terminal gate, waiting for their flights to board. Or, really, Quinn's flight to board because Max's flight to California didn't leave for another few hours, but since she's such an _awesome fucking friend, _she gave Quinn a ride to the airport. The majority of the people looked just as tired as she felt; most of them that were occupying the seats were either dozing off or already asleep. There was one person, however, who seemed awake enough for all of them, even if all she was doing was reading sheet music. Her leg bounced up and down, most likely in tune with the music she was reading, and her mouth moved rapidly as she reviewed the lyrics under her breath. Max's eyes widened in recognition and her head snapped towards Quinn, only to find her staring intently at the same girl. She smiled in pure delight as she looked between the two women a few more times before leaning in close to whisper in Quinn's ear.

"She's pretty cute isn't she?"

Quinn jumped in her seat and blushed, looking back down to her sketchbook.

"Yeah," she agreed quietly, stealing another glance at the small brunette. In truth, the girl was absolutely gorgeous. Just the sight of her made her heart beat frantically while at the same time stealing the breath from her lungs. Which was ridiculous; she didn't know the girl, let alone talked to her or even seen her before and her heart is already lurching for her? And from the look on Max's face, the bitch was clearly enjoying the effect this beautiful stranger was having on Quinn.

"It looks like she's catching your flight."

"Clearly."

Max's smirk grew. "Maybe you should introduce yourself."

"And why would I do that?" Quinn asked as she focused her attention on her drawing and not the girl in the next row.

"You were drooling. I was worried I was going to have to start building a giant boat and gathering two of every animal."

Quinn's blush deepened and she scowled at her friend. "Why do you have to be such an asshole?"

"You must be rubbing off on me," Max laughed when Quinn hit her on the arm, "Ouch. If you're shy, I don't mind being your wing woman."

"Will you stop please?"

"I'm absolutely positive she wouldn't say no to your hot piece of ass."

"_Maxine_!" Quinn snapped at her, exasperated.

Max visibly winced. "Jeez, mom."

"Thank God, I'm not your mother," Quinn grumbled under her breath. "I don't know if I would be able to keep from strangling you every time you open your mouth."

The other girl shook her head with a smile. "My mother adores me."

"I'm sure it's only because she has to."

Max just chuckled, but left her alone. Quinn sighed with relief and looked over to the next row, only to gasp silently when she found a pair of dark brown eyes staring back at her. With their eyes connected, something in Quinn's heart snapped and she was afraid of a sudden heart attack and everything around them was blurred and muted. The brunette gave a small smile and Quinn couldn't help but return it. The woman dropped her eyes to the sheet music in her lap and tucked a strand of hair nervously behind her ear, the smile never leaving her face.

If anything, it grew.

Max sighed, a very pleased smile on her face, her hand clutched dramatically over her heart. "Oh God. Quinn, I think that was one of the cutest things I have ever seen."

"I fucking hate you."

* * *

Two hours later, Quinn's plane landed in Ohio. After gathering the rest of her luggage from the baggage claim and struggling with them out of the airport, she whipped out her phone to call Santana. She set her luggage on the sidewalk and sat on top of one of her bags.

After a couple of rings, Santana picked up. "We're at the airport; calm the fuck down, Fabray."

Quinn smiled. "I was beginning to worry."

"Please," the Latina snorted. "There's just a bunch of assholes here that don't know how to get out of my fucking way." A blaring honk sounded through the phone followed by a string of what Quinn could only guess were curse words in Spanish.

"_San_," Brittany scolded in the background.

"Sorry, baby."

Quinn smirked. "Whipped."

"Hey you better watch it, Q. I have no problem turning around and leaving you stranded here in the lovely cold December weather."

"Please don't. It's already been such a long day."

"Oh boo hoo, bitch. I'll see you in a couple of minutes. Think you can hold out on your own without crying like a little baby?"

"I think I can handle that," Quinn chuckled before hanging up and scanning the busyness around her.

There were many people lined up next to her waiting for their rides or hailing down taxis. She flipped up her collar to fight against the blistering wind and wrapped her coat tighter around her body. On the other end of the walk, Quinn spotted the beautiful angel from the terminal. Her brown chestnut hair whipped in the wind and her small hands were held up to her mouth as she blew on them to keep them warm. Quinn was captivated; she's never met anyone who literally stole her breath away, made her world spin, and a bunch of other cliché shit, and she doesn't even know the woman's name. The girl turned her head towards her and their eyes connected once again. The world around them was drowned out and blurred by the pure intensity flowing between them. The girl smiled at her and Quinn didn't hesitate to smile back. She raised her hand in a wave and her heart soared when the brunette raised her hand in return, wiggling her gloved fingers.

Quinn bit her lip in an effort to keep herself from grinning like an idiot. An SUV pulled up in front of the other woman, but her eyes were still locked with Quinn's. It wasn't until the front doors opened and two men exited the car, scooping the girl into their arms that she realized they were even there. Quinn could hear her squeal from where she was and couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. The men helped the smaller girl put her luggage into the car and with one last lingering glance at Quinn and another small wave, she hopped in the backseat of the truck. Quinn watched the car drive away and she felt her heart clench when the car was out of sight. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of a car horn and Santana screeched to a halt in front of her.

"Hey, bitch!" Santana smirked at her from the driver's seat. Brittany jumped out of the passenger seat to engulf Quinn in a bone-crushing hug.

"Oof!" Quinn grunted as she was almost knocked off her feet. She found her balance and wrapped her arms around the taller blonde.

"Hi, Quinn!"

Quinn laughed. "Hi, B. It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too," Brittany pulled back and beamed at her. She bent down and picked up one of her bags. "Come on, Q! Santana promised me sexy times when we get back home. Let's go!"

"Britt…"

"You said you wanted to get Quinn home as soon as possible, so I'm just speeding her along." She turned back to the amused blonde with a bright smile. "I'm so happy you're here, Quinn!"

Quinn raised her eyebrows and looked over to see a blushing Santana leaning her forehead on the steering wheel. She chuckled and turned to grab a couple of bags and walked to the trunk. She called to the front of the car. "You know, it's nice to help, Santana."

Santana smirked. "You made me get up at the ass crack of dawn and drive an hour and a half to come pick you up from the airport to bring you back to Lima. I think I've helped you enough for today."

Quinn rolled her eyes and she and Brittany finished packing her belongings before getting back into the car to begin the journey home.

* * *

"So, Q."

Quinn rolled her eyes. Sometimes she swore Max and Santana were separated at birth.

"So, S."

"Who or what were you gawking at when we pulled up?" Quinn blushed and could see Santana and Brittany share a smirk from the front seat. She looked out the window and thought about the short brunette that had invaded her mind since New York.

"No one."

"You're lying."

Quinn's eyes snapped to the front seats to find Brittany peeking at her from behind her headrest, a knowing grin on her face. She looked back towards the window, resting her head against the glass.

"Just some girl," she answered quietly. Brittany giggled excitedly, practically bouncing in her seat.

"Really? What's her name?"

Quinn's blush deepened, but she shrugged and bit the bullet. "I don't know."

Santana laughed while Brittany looked confused. "Well is she hot?"

Quinn could only nod as she bit her lip again to keep from smiling like the Cheshire Cat on crack. Santana rolled her eyes and Brittany awed and sprang from her seat to pull Quinn into another hug.

"Brittany, what the hell!" Santana yelled as Brittany's legs that were still trapped in the front seat nearly hit her in the face as she swung them back and forth in her excitement. "Sit back down and put your seatbelt on!"

"Aw, San! Quinn found someone!" The blonde climbed back in her seat, but still faced Quinn in the backseat, grinning at her and clapping her hands happily.

"I didn't find anyone, B," Quinn replied sadly, even if she couldn't help but smile at her friend's childlike behavior. "I don't even know her. Besides, I probably won't ever see her again." Santana smirked at her from the rearview mirror.

"You seem pretty sad about that, Q. Are you sure she's just _some girl_?" she teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

"I'm sure," she whispered even though her heart angrily disagreed.

* * *

Quinn walked through the front door to the large house (more benefits of a guilty father) and dropped the majority of her bags by the staircase. She was immediately tackled by a gray and white husky, barking in his excitement and she had to grab the stair railing to keep from falling over. She smiled and looked into the blue eyes, kissing the dog on his head.

"Hey, Luck. Where's your mommy?" Luck licked her hand in response.

The house seemed quiet, but her younger sister's car was in the driveway when she pulled up so Quinn figured she was locked in her room. She trudged up the stairs with a couple of her bags and headed straight for her bedroom, dying to catch a couple more hours of sleep in her big comfy bed. She pushed the door open to her room letting Luck run in excitedly before her while she stopped to examine it. Her walls were covered with paintings and drawing she had finished over the years and a couple of pictures of her friends and her sisters and she smiled at the memories. She walked to the middle of her room and dropped her bags by the foot of her bed before plopping down on her comforter and sighing in content. It felt great to be back in the house with her family, even if the nagging feeling that something was wrong wouldn't go away. She just needed a couple of hours of sleep and everything would be back to normal.

"QUINN!"

Quinn started and snapped open her eyes in time to see a blur of short blonde hair before the air was pushed out of her lungs as the perpetrator jumped on her.

"I've missed you so much, it's so great to see you!" the younger girl squealed into her shoulder and she held her in a death grip. Luck barked happily in the background. "How've you been? How's New York? How's college? Tell me everything!"

Quinn laughed at her little sister's excitement and pushed the girl's shoulders back so she could see her face. Joyous, blue eyes met hazel and Abigail beamed at her. "Hi, Quinn," she said breathlessly.

"Hey, Abby," Quinn greeted as she sat up, Abigail slipping off of her lap to sit next to her on the bed. "It's good to see you, too." A soft _meow_ came from the side of her bed and she peeked over the side to see her unusually small brown, white and black Savannah cat, Jinx. Identical hazel eyes seemed to sparkle with excited recognition when they looked up at Quinn. She smiled and reached her hand down for the cat to brush against her fingers.

Abigail smiled brightly at her. "Did you bring me another painting?"

"Maaaybe," Quinn drawled, a grin playing on her lips. Abigail's room was like a gallery to the art that Quinn made for her and she would have found it a bit unnerving if she didn't find it completely endearing (and of course, if she wasn't her little sister). Abigail giggled and wrapped her in another hug.

"Can I have it now?" She brought Quinn back at arm's length to stare closely into her eyes.

"On Christmas." Abigail pouted, but Quinn narrowed her eyes. "Christmas or New Years. Pick one."

The younger girl sighed. "Fine, I'll wait." Instantly, the almost permanent smile was back on her face. "Anyways, how've you been? How's the Big Apple?"

Quinn lied back down on her pillows and felt the bed dip as her sister settled down next to her. Jinx jumped on the bed and curled into Quinn's body and she scratched behind her ears, earning an appreciative purr and a wag of her tail. "Life consists of school, work, and social activities on repeat. And New York is as busy as always."

"Well, aren't you just a ball of all things exhilarating," Abigail replied dryly. Quinn nudged her in the ribs.

"Shut up. How's your senior year going? Coach Sylvester still trying to overwork you into perfection?"

The younger girl rolled her eyes. "Of course she is. I still have practice every Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday morning even though we're on vacation. But senior year is amazing; I'm having _so_ much fun. I can't wait till it's all over and I'm out of that hell hole."

"Are you still ruling the halls with your HBIC status?"

The younger Fabray scoffed. "Of course. It's in the Fabray blood, Quinn. I'm sure you are fully aware of our natural power to command mankind and take over the world," Abigail gave a very smug smile, but Quinn just laughed. Her sister was probably the nicest Head Cheerleader in William McKinley High history. The artist smirked and poked her sister lightly in the stomach.

"And how's Amy?" Abigail blushed with a smile, turning her head to hide it slightly in Quinn's pillow.

"Absolutely amazing, as always," she mumbled, a small giggle escaping her lips. Quinn awed at her sisters adorable shyness, as she always was when Quinn, their sister or their mom mentioned her girlfriend of nearly three years. "Stop teasing me. I can sense your amusement."

"She's coming over later isn't she?"

The cheerleader lifted her head and nodded it vigorously with a bright smile. Quinn narrowed her eyes playfully.

"Do we need to have an open door policy?"

Abigail smirked coyly. "Mom already enforced one. She caught us in a very compromising position when she came to wake us up one morning."

Quinn arched an eyebrow. "And what position would that be?"

"We were simply spooning. Naked."

"Oh my god," Quinn laughed and shook her head, imagining the look of shocked embarrassment on her mother's face and then closed her eyes to block out the visual of her younger sister in bed with her girlfriend. "You are going to kill our mother."

The cheerleader rolled her eyes. "Like I'm the only one to cause her some emotional stress. Between you and Nora, what I do is like spilled milk to her now."

Quinn smiled and nodded. "That's true. But at least I never had to have an open door policy enforced on my bedroom."

The artist watched as Abigail looked down to her quilt, the carefree smile lessening to that of concern. She looked back up slowly to meet the hazel eyes across from her. "How've you been, Quinn?"

Quinn hesitated slightly, taken aback by her sister's sudden change in attitude. "I thought I already answered that."

"You've told me what your life consisted of, not how you're doing in said life," Abigail challenged.

Quinn sighed. "What is with everyone's concern about me today?"

Abigail stared deep into her eyes before shrugging.

"I guess everyone just worries about you too much," she answered quietly. "So, how've you been?"

Abby was hiding something and Quinn knew it. She could see it in her eyes. She wanted to pry, she really did, but knew, just _knew_ that Abigail wouldn't say anything. And she was really fucking tired right now. She'll pry it from her later.

"I'm fine. Everything's great," she replied, trying to put as much sincerity in her words and eyes as possible. Abigail stared a little longer, trying to find a crack in Quinn's calm demeanor. After a few seconds she seemed satisfied and her face broke out into a smile. She reached over and pulled her sister into a gentle hug. Quinn hugged her back.

"I've missed you, Quinn."

Quinn smiled into the cheerleader's hair. "I've missed you too."

Abigail pulled back, her smile as bright as ever as she hopped off of Quinn's bed, the conversation forgotten and in the past.

"Okay. I know you're exhausted, so I'm going to let you sleep. I'll let Nora come and wake you up when she gets home. I'll tell her to give you a couple hours," she said as she walked towards the bedroom door.

"Where is dear sister Nora?"

"Out shopping since mom won't be back from Boulder until Christmas week. Come on Lucky," she answered as she practically skipped out the door, Luck close on her heels. "Sleep tight, Quinn!"

"Bye, Abby," Quinn yawned and closed her eyes, welcoming the much needed sleep as her cat burrowed into her covers with her.

* * *

She was awoken a few hours later by her sheets being snatched from her body and she shivered from the cold air around her. She curled up into a tighter ball around Jinx and groaned.

"Why are you so mean?" she asked groggily as she reached blindly for her covers, too tired to really open her eyes. She grunted when a pillow was slammed down on her head and an all too familiar laugh rang out.

"Aw, did the big bad Nora wake you up. I'm sorry."

Quinn covered her face with her arm as the pillow came down on her again. Jinx hissed at the disruption and hopped off the bed to saunter out of the room. Quinn frowned as she watched the feline leave.

"You scared away my baby."

Nora shrugged. "She'll love me again when it's me that's feeding her."

"I'll feed her when I get up," Quinn mumbled and snuggled back into her pillow, closing her eyes. Her head hit the mattress with a soft _thud _as the pillow was snatched from under her only for it to be slammed down on her face along with the one that was already in Nora's hand. She sighed. "Okay. I'm up now."

"Fantastic," the older blonde smirked and tossed both of the pillows on top of Quinn.

The artist stretched languidly and glanced at her sister, noticing her expectant stare. She swung her legs off of the bed to sit up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "I'm fine," she whispered.

Nora blinked. "What?"

Quinn blinked back and shrugged, lifting her arms up in another stretch. "You were staring. I just figured you'd ask me how I'm doing. It seems to be a trend with everyone today." Nora raised her eyebrow and giggled.

"Oh Quinn," Nora cooed and sat next to her sister, throwing her arm around Quinn's shoulder to give her a side hug. "You know I don't care."

"It's good to know you love me," Quinn deadpanned.

"It's more like an obligation."

Quinn rolled her eyes and shrugged Nora's arm off of her shoulder. "Please tell me you didn't wake me up so I can be your punching bag. Where's Abigail? Go fuck with her."

Nora suddenly beamed and grabbed Quinn's arm, pulling her from the bed and out of her room before Quinn knew what was going on. "You have _got_ to see this."

Quinn, still trying to wake up completely, stumbled after the excited blond as she was dragged down the stairs. She nearly ran into Nora's back when she stopped abruptly in the archway of the living room pointing towards the couch. She peeked around Nora's shoulder and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing loudly at the scene in front of her.

"Look at your sister."

Abigail lay on the couch, with Luck next to her, clad in a WMHS cheer t-shirt and yoga pants, her short hair tied back into a ponytail and half of her body leaning off the edge as she reached for Jinx, who sat just out of arm's reach. An opened bag of Doritos and Baked Cheetos were on the coffee table next to a couple of DVDs and five different books, all opened. Her guitar leaned against the arm rest by her head, the pick placed snuggly between the first and second strings. Jinx nipped playfully at Abby's fingers as they wiggled in their attempt to grab her.

"Come here, Jinxie," Abigail cooed and giggled. The feline stood up and walked under her arm and jumped on the couch, settling on Abigail's stomach. Jinx patted Luck on the head with her paw, and the dog returned the greeting with a lick to her face. The cheerleader grinned at the animals and looked up, finally spotting her very amused sisters watching her. She lifted Jinx up and turned her around so she could face Nora, who was quietly chuckling, and Quinn, who tried to hide her smile behind her sister's shoulder.

"Look, Jinxie, your Mommy's awake!" she lifted the cat's paw in a wave and bounced her on her hind legs. "_I want chicken, I want liver, Meow Mix, Meow Mix, please deliver_." Jinx _meowed_, causing Abigail to giggle again and she hugged the animal to her chest.

Nora laughed and looked over her shoulder at Quinn, nudging her in the ribs. "Wave back, don't be rude."

"I don't know if I should be condoning this type of behavior," Quinn whispered.

"You should. It's hilarious."

Quinn put a hand to her forehead and smiled as she watched Jinx squirm against Abigail's tight hold while she talked a mile a minute. "Did she take her medicine?"

Nora shrugged. "I have no idea, but I do know what she _did_ take."

Quinn eyed the junk food on the table and her sister's bloodshot eyes and constant giggle. "At least she doesn't smell."

"Well, it would seem that little Abster got her hands on some highly potent brownies."

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Did she get them from you?"

"What? You think I'm stupid?" Nora rolled her eyes and nudged a smirking Quinn in the shoulder again. "Fuck no; she didn't get them from me. Like I would waste a perfectly good brownie on this nut. I'm sure whoever gave it to her is trying to kill us. It's, like, a marathon trying to hold a conversation with her and she won't shut up." Nora grinned and tapped Quinn on the shoulder. "Tag, you get to watch her now. I'm going to grab something that isn't complete stoner food to eat."

Quinn watched Nora walk to the kitchen, laughing quietly to herself before turning to study her very high sister. She walked slowly over to the other end of the couch, lightly pushing Luck so he could get off and lay on the floor. She sat down, letting Abby put her feet on her lap. Jinx was finally able to squirm free from Abigail and crawled down the length of her body to settle on the armrest next to Quinn. Abigail rolled her head to the side to stare blankly at the pitch black on the television screen.

"So, Abigail," Quinn scanned the materials on the coffee table, "what are you up to?"

The cheerleader snapped her head back to look at Quinn with a lazy grin.

"I got brownies, Quinn."

"So I've heard."

"Would you like one? Puck did a great job."

Quinn blinked. "Puck?"

"Puck, yes."

"…You're buying brownies from Puck?"

Abigail sat up, her brows furrowed. "Quinn, are you listening to me? Listen to me. Puck gave me these yummy brownies that I have been nomming on and I think you should nom on one, too. They'll make you feel better. Relaxed. Focused."

"Yeah, you seem really focused," Quinn mumbled, staring once again at the mess on the table. The other girl glanced at it as well.

"I may have forgotten to take my Adderall after lunch," Abby whispered under her breath before turning back to look at Quinn, a large grin on her face. "So do you want one?"

Quinn smiled. "Maybe later."

Abigail frowned. "But you're sad now. I don't want you to be sad."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're lonely. You've never been so lonely," she leaned forward and gently grabbed Quinn's face with both hands, pulling it towards her to stare closely into her eyes. "God, your eyes are so loud sometimes."

Quinn froze. She tried to lean away from her sister's grip and prying eyes, but the armrest was already digging into her back and her body was trapped under Abigail's legs. The cheerleader always had the ability to make Quinn feel like she was made of fragile glass. She felt the telltale sign of tears prickling behind her eyes and she didn't know why. She closed her eyes, carefully grabbing her sister's hands and pulling them away from her face.

"It's okay, Abby," she whispered, opening her eyes to see Abigail still staring at her. "I'm fine."

The younger blonde leaned back and lifted her legs off of Quinn to cross them Indian style. Propping her elbow up on her thigh, she rested her chin on an opened palm and smiled softly.

"Two and a half years," she said quietly, her eyes glazed over as they traced the contours of Quinn's body. "That's a really long time, Quinn."

Quinn hesitated. "A long time for what?"

"Everything!" she shouted, throwing her hands in the air, making Quinn, Luck and Jinx jump. "So much happens in that amount of time. I mean, who can forget all of that! No one forgets anything. The mind is a room and the memory just gets lost in the messiness. It's all still there, Quinn. We just have to search and organize." She paused and bit her lip, her eyebrows scrunched in contemplation. "But, this time is different, isn't it; this time someone came into your freakishly clean room and hid your things from you. The villain! Together, Quinn, we will find your stuff." A smile broke out over her face and she clapped in her excitement. "Oh! We can be, like, superheroes! Do you want to be a superhero with me, Quinn? We could have capes and secret identities!"

"…Abby, what the _fuck_ are you talking about?"

Abigail sighed and put a hand to her head to gather her thoughts. "Okay, I'm going to need you to pay attention this time because I'm starting to forget what we're talking about."

She opened her mouth to begin her speech, but was interrupted by a grape hitting her in the head. She picked it up and looked towards the kitchen to see Nora standing there with a bowl of fruit, rolling her eyes. Abigail's eyes widened and she beamed before reaching over to grab the bag of Doritos. "Nora! Trade me."

The older Fabray scoffed. "Absolutely not." She walked over to the armchair and sat down, popping another grape into her mouth.

"But they're so good," Abigail replied around a mouthful of chips.

"Sylvester is going to kill you if you keep eating those."

The cheerleader's eyes widened, her hand frozen in midair, a chip dangling from her fingers. "Oh my God, you are so right. I completely forgot about that stupid diet." She shoved the chip in her mouth. "What should I do?"

"Stop eating."

"I can't," she mumbled around a mouthful of chips. She swallowed and pointed to the Cheetos still on the table. "I can eat those though, yeah? They're baked. Oh my god, wait," giggling, she leaned over and reached into the bag, pulled out a chip and showed it to her sisters, "look, it's like I'm a giant caveman! These are fun."

Quinn laughed and reached over to grab a handful of fruit. When she reclined back into her seat, she looked over to see Abigail staring at her with a big delightful smile on her face, her eyes swimming with excitement.

"Quinn! You're eating berries!"

The artist looked down in her hand to see, yes, a couple of strawberries and blueberries. She looked back up at her sister, her eyebrow arched. "Yeah?"

Abigail stared above Quinn's head. "My God, the light that is shining down upon you right now is the light of destiny! This is the first sign!"

Quinn blinked. "The first sign for what?"

Abigail grinned. "That you belo -" Nora quickly threw another grape at Abigail, hitting her in the face. The younger girl paused to gape at her sister, slowly bringing the grape to her mouth. "Now you're just being silly. I hope you know that this means war," she reached into her bag of chips and picked one out before flinging it at Nora like a Frisbee. "Ninja star!"

The Dorito hit Nora's cheek and she glared at the giggling girl on the couch. She stood up slowly and handed the bowl of fruit to a smirking Quinn. Abigail, still laughing, held up a finger to ward her off.

"Now, now, Nora. Don't be silly," she warned as she stood from the couch and circled it to put space between her and her sister. Luck lifted his head to watch. "You don't have my ninja skills. I will dominate you in battle, so I suggest you calmly sit down and we can forget about this altercation."

Nora smirked and shook her head as she pursued Abigail. "You threw a chip at me."

"Did I?" Nora nodded. "Oh. I hope you ate it. You shouldn't be wasteful. You know there are starving children in Africa right now."

Nora lunged at Abigail, who squealed and ran to the front of the couch before getting tackled to the ground and tickled. Luck sprang up and jumped around them, barking happily.

"Stop it, you knave! Unhand me this instant! My body, my choice!"

The doorbell interrupted the sound of giggles and, like Luck next to her; Abigail popped up her head and looked towards the door eagerly, giving Nora the chance to knock her to the floor again.

"Oh, wait! My love, she calls for me!" the cheerleader reached her arm out towards the door before squealing out in laughter as she tried to get away from Nora's tickling fingers.

Quinn stood up to answer it and looked out the window to see Abigail's girlfriend grinning at her with piercing green eyes, a hood over her head and black bangs falling into her eyes. A duffle bag hung off her shoulder as she waved excitedly. Quinn smiled and opened the door, shivering at the cold air.

"Hey, gorgeous."

Amy grinned and gave a firm hug to the artist before pulling down her hood and taking off her mittens.

"Hi, beautiful, I've missed you. Abigail told me you were home, after she finished telling me about some plan to take over the world and fight bad guys or something. I figured she's just saying that because she's high," the girl laughed and took off her jacket before hanging it up on the coat rack by the door, revealing a yearbook staff shirt from 2011. She took off her boots and followed Quinn back into the living room, stopping in the archway to study the scene before her while the blonde resumed her place on the couch. Nora, now sat upright with Abigail lying down trapped between her and the couch (who seemed to have given up temporarily in favor of admiring the softness of the rug with her face), looked over and smiled.

"Amy, what a surprise," Nora greeted dryly.

Amy waved. Luck bounded his way over to her and she kneeled down to greet him with a hug, bracing herself with her hands when he tackled her. Abigail beamed at her from the floor.

"Hi, baby!"

Amy giggled and walked forward cautiously, not quite sure of what would happen if she were to step too close. "Hey you," she bent down to give the cheerleader a small but loving kiss and gave Luck a peck on the head before looking at the table. "What's with all this mess?"

"That's my mess," Abigail smiled proudly as she pushed at the body on top of her to gain the upper hand in the fight, but Nora just smirked and refused to budge.

Quinn rolled her eyes and lifted her feet onto the couch, Jinx jumping off the armrest to snuggle into her side. She grabbed the remote off the table and turned on the television.

"What is - Quinn, is that the food channel? Is it Ace of Cakes? I love that show! Nora, get off, I wish to sit comfortably while I watch them make amazing things out of cake." Abigail lifted her head as much as she could with Nora's body pinning her to the ground. "Quinn, come on, we're supposed to be a team against this woman-child. Help me."

Quinn tore her eyes away from the screen long enough to glance at the two. "You're too far."

Abigail scowled and waved her off. "Oh, you are worthless! You know, sisters are supposed to love each other through thick and thin, but I think you both suck."

"Then ask your girlfriend."

"Amy, help me get rid of this offender!"

Amy giggled and shook her head from her place leaning against the armrest of the couch. "But you're my knight. I'm the damsel in distress, remember."

"See, this is why I didn't ask you. The damsel always gets to sit on her delectable ass while her knight does all the work. And when the knight gets home from slaying the fat, ugly dragon," Abigail shoved Nora in the back and giggled when she received a middle finger from the oldest blonde, "she will be rewarded with kisses and good times. So you're lucky you're hot or I wouldn't put up with your total disregard for my comfort and all around safety."

Amy grinned at her. "I love you, too, baby."

"Aw, sweetie!" Abigail smiled lovingly at the raven haired beauty as she leaned down to give her another kiss. The cheerleader reached up and pulled Amy's hair out of the ponytail it was in and ran her fingers through the black tresses. "Like a goddess," She whispered. Amy blushed and gave her another kiss.

Nora rolled her eyes and looked over at Quinn. "They're giving me diabetes."

"Shut up, they're cute," Quinn whispered with a smile, nudging Nora in the back of the head with her knee.

"Gag me."

Abigail turned her attention to her sister and pushed her in the shoulder. "Nora, you're physically interrupting valuable, unsupervised cuddling time with my girlfriend. That's very thoughtless of you and I hope you feel bad."

Nora just laughed. "Aw, do you really? I guess you'll just have to use your ninja skills to get out of your predicament."

"I refuse to use my amazing techniques on you. You need to be alive for Christmas or mom will kill me."

"Well then, I guess you'll just have to watch TV from down here. Sorry, Amy," Nora smiled sweetly and settled back against Abigail and the couch. The cheerleader, her eyes glued to the TV screen, reached over to pull Amy closer so she could place her head in her lap and laced their fingers together. Luck lied down next to Abigail, placing his head in Nora's lap, who immediately began scratching behind his ears. Quinn handed the bowl of fruit over to Nora and the four of them settled down to watch the Food Network.

* * *

Abigail didn't pass out until close to midnight (in her bedroom with Amy, the door closed and probably locked), after countless random conversations and many intense rounds of MarioKart because even though Abigail was beyond high, she definitely still had ninja skills when it came to green shells, trick boxes and bananas and everyone else made it their mission to make her lose. As she slipped her arms into her thick, collared overcoat, Quinn looked down to find Jinx staring up at her, a plea in the hazel eyes. Quinn grinned.

"Do you want to come with us?" she asked quietly as she fixed the collar onto Luck's neck. Jinx _meowed_ and Quinn kneeled down so the small cat could climb into her black hooded jacket that was under the coat before carefully zipping it up and keeping her snug against her chest. She partially buttoned up the overcoat, slipped on her gloves and walked up to the front door, opening it up and wincing at the harsh cold wind that hit her in the face. She grabbed the leash off the small table by the front door and connected it to the husky's collar.

"Where are you going?"

Quinn turned around to find Nora standing at the bottom of the staircase, wrapped in a soft robe with a steaming cup of tea in her hands.

"A walk."

Nora hummed and walked forward. "Don't freeze to death. I think Abigail is going to be unconscious until tomorrow afternoon and Amy will most likely be with her so I won't have anyone to pick on if you turn into a human popsicle."

"What flavor would I be?"

"Shit flavored, obviously," Nora smirked and closed the door.

Quinn chuckled and rolled her eyes as she walked out into the snow, lifting her hood over her blond hair. Quinn kept a loose hold on Luck's leash (she only put it on him to avoid getting a ticket anyways) and put her hands in her coat pockets, letting Jinx rest on her forearms. She began walking towards the park she knew was at the end of her block, but had never really visited. She remembered Brittany telling her about the dates where Santana would take her to the duck pond that was there, which was ridiculously adorable and Quinn teased the Latina for weeks about it. She figured it would look beautiful deserted and covered in a layer of snow. Jinx fidgeted in her jacket, causing Quinn to wince when one of her claws poked through the fabric.

"Ouch, Jinx!" she looked down at the feline who stared back up innocently. "Such a pain in the ass."

Jinx _meowed_ indignantly and Quinn grinned, lifting her up a little further on her chest. Jinx nipped at Quinn's chin making her laugh before moving her face and kissing the top of the cat's head.

The street and the park seemed deserted, which was a little unsettling when compared to the business of the Big Apple, regardless of the weather, but Quinn reveled in the silence. She trudged up the street leisurely, in no rush to pass the decorated houses and the beauty of Mother Nature in the winter. This was something she couldn't do in New York City and she wasn't going to waste it.

It was when she got closer to the park that she heard it: soft, beautiful singing. She slowed her walk down and squinted in the direction of the park. There was a girl standing next to a large oak tree staring off towards the pond, swaying slightly to the music she was producing. She was poorly illuminated by the streetlight next to her so Quinn couldn't make out any of her features even if she was facing her way, but she was instantly drawn to the sound, like a moth to the gates of hell. Luck began to pull away from her and she grabbed on to his leash to keep him back, but he whined and pulled harder.

"Luck, will you calm do – ow! Jinx!"

During her effort to contain Luck, the cat scrambled out of her jacket, her claws poking Quinn in her arms and chest. She let go of Luck's leash and he took off towards the woman, Jinx hot on his heels.

"Jinx! Luck! Get back here!" she whispered as loud as she could without alerting the woman. She ran after them, not wanting the animals to scare the singer, but slowed to a stop as the girl turned around at the excited barking and calmly watched Luck and Jinx run up to her. The dog immediately sat at her feet and wagged his tail as she kneeled down to pet him on his head. Jinx lifted her front paws onto her thighs, wanting some attention and was pleased when the girl scratched her behind her ears. Quinn smiled at the scene and walked over to them, calmer now that she knew the woman wasn't frightened. When she arrived, the singer had Jinx in her lap, her head tilted down as she stroked the soft fur and her brown hair covered her face. Quinn cleared her throat softly.

"Hi."

The woman looked up and they both gasped. It was the angel from the airport and Quinn was almost sure God had sent her as an early Christmas present. The brunette smiled at Quinn, soft brown eyes connecting with hazel and the world around them began to blur again as they focused only on each other. There was something in that gaze that pulled the artist in and she couldn't look away, didn't want to look away. The shorter girl stood up with Jinx still in her arms and stepped closer to Quinn.

"Hi," she greeted quietly. "Are they yours?"

Quinn grinned sheepishly and bent down to grab Luck's leash. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over them. They don't usually just ambush people."

"It's okay, I don't mind. They're very friendly," the girl replied, placing a kiss on top of Jinx head making Quinn smile. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the brunette shifted the cat in her arms so she could hold out her hand. "I'm Rachel. Rachel Berry."

"Quinn Fabray."

They shook hands and even through the fabric of their gloves, Quinn could feel a spark flow from her fingertips and through her veins, warming every part of her body. She guessed that Rachel felt it too, because she smiled at their clasped hands before bringing her hand back to cradle Jinx more comfortably.

"Do you make it a habit of bringing your cat out on walks?"

Quinn raised an eyebrow playfully. "Do you make it a habit of singing in a deserted park at midnight in freezing weather?"

"Always," Rachel replied with a smirk.

Quinn chuckled and reached over to scratch Jinx behind her ears. "She doesn't like being left out. She's a bit of a diva."

"Oh, we have something in common then," she replied and nuzzled the cat with her nose. She giggled when Jinx licked her face and Quinn filed that sound away as one of the best in the world. "What are their names?"

"Her name is Jinx and this here," she tugged gently on the leash, making Luck walk over to her and brush against her legs, "is Luck."

Rachel smiled at her. "Jinx and Luck? That's pretty dorky."

"Well, my sister's a big dork so I guess it fits."

"But Jinx is yours?"

Quinn blinked. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

Rachel just smiled, glancing down at Jinx, before raising her eyes to connect with Quinn's. "She has your eyes."

They stared at each other, letting a comfortable silence fall over them. There was no doubt for Quinn now; she really, _really _liked this girl, but at least now she knew her name. She wanted to touch her, hold hands with her…wake up with her. She has never felt like this for anyone and she couldn't control it, but it was comfortable and exciting. The dark brown eyes held a power over her that was so strong, she'd cut off her finger if it would make Rachel smile and she wasn't prepared for that so she needed to look away unless she wanted to do something that would probably scare the brunette off or maybe get her arrested for molestation.

"Were you heading somewhere? I don't want to keep you away from any prior engagement." Rachel asked quietly. Quinn shrugged, looking around the park.

"Not really. I couldn't sleep. And I've never really been to this park before so I figured I could look around."

Rachel hummed and ran her eyes over the blonde's features; the hazel eyes, the delicate bone structure…the soft skin. She blushed and averted her eyes, biting her lip nervously.

"I happen to know some rather serene locations in this park. I would be happy to show you. If you, uh, don't mind the company, of course." Her voice dropped off to a shy whisper. She looked up to gage Quinn's reaction and was relieved and more than a little pleased to see a small smile on the perfect lips.

"I would love your company," Quinn whispered, internally chastising herself for the implications in her words, but instantly wanted to pat herself on the back when Rachel just beamed and hooked their arms together, Jinx still nestled against her chest. She led Quinn to a trail that ran along the frozen pond and they slowly began their walk to the other side of the body of water, their path softly lit by lamps. Quinn tried to ignore the romantic setting she suddenly found herself in with the one girl she couldn't get seem to get out of her mind (_seriously_, what were the odds?). However, the fact that they walked pressed against each other because Rachel was still holding Jinx _and_ her arm was making it the only thing she could think about.

"So, Quinn Fabray."

"Yes, Rachel Berry?"

The brunette smiled and tightened her hold on the squirming cat and, in the process, pulled her closer to the blonde. "What brings you to the small and, if I may be blunt, quite terrible town of Lima?"

"Terrible, huh?"

"Well, let's just say if my memories weren't created and basically established on the very soil that we walk upon, I don't believe that I would come here to enjoy what is said to be the most jolly holiday of the year where it would seem that instead of carolers, the only people who come to my house that aren't relatives are conservative bible thumpers who use this month as an excuse to try and covert those that do not meet the standard set by their church or their own flawed beliefs, claiming it to be part of God's Christmas wish or something. I don't really know. I just offer them cookies or perhaps a Christmas carol or two. That usually makes them leave quicker," Rachel finished with a smile, but blushed at Quinn's very amused smile and arched eyebrow. "Sorry. I tend to go off on tangents and use more words than is necessary to convey simple feelings and opinions."

But Quinn just chuckled. "It's fine. My sister has the same tendency. I'm used to it. Besides," she bit her lip nervously and averted her eyes before whispering, "I think it's cute."

Rachel blushed harder at the complement and leaned her head on Quinn's shoulder. "You think your sister's rambling ways are cute?"

"You think you're funny, don't you?" Quinn narrowed her eyes playfully, shrugging Rachel's head off of her shoulder when she was answered with a giggle.

"Oh yes. While other people may disagree, I happen to believe that I'm a pretty hilarious individual. I've also been told I have quite the ego," Rachel replied with a sly grin. "So you think I'm cute?"

Quinn laughed. "Only when you're being nice to me."

"I'll keep that in mind," Rachel whispered, taking a moment to quell her urge to jump for joy at the blonde's confession. "So, why Lima?"

"This, unfortunately, happens to be my hometown as well," the blonde answered, looking around at their surrounding as Rachel led her towards the lining of thick trees.

"Really?"

Quinn nodded. "I moved to California after elementary school and came back for my last two years of high school."

"And now you're in New York?"

"At Tisch, yes." She slowed down her pace when she noticed Rachel heading straight for the trees. "Uh, Rachel? Where are we going?"

The brunette smiled. "I will have you know that I'm a huge fan of surprises, so you'll have to forgive me while I indulge myself. You'll just have to wait and see."

"I hope you're serious about the 'seeing' part of your surprise," Quinn said cautiously as she stopped just outside of the darkness of the trees where the beginning of a small trail could be seen. Rachel giggled and pulled the blonde closer to her.

"You can trust me."

Quinn looked over at Rachel's beaming face and sighed. She couldn't resist it. "Okay. Lead the way.'

"Great! It's what I do best," Rachel quipped with a chuckle and began to drag a still slightly hesitant Quinn through the darkness.

The blonde stayed glued to the shorter girl, because with her sight obscured it felt like her balance was completely off. The trail beneath them felt as if it had been trodden on many times so it was relatively smooth, but that didn't keep Quinn from almost tripping over her own feet. After a few minutes, Quinn began to get nervous.

"How do you know where you're going?" she asked, squinting her eyes to try and see where they were going; the overhanging trees blocked out the moonlight, their only source of light.

"Pure muscle reflex and memory."

Quinn was about to reply when she saw a small, glowing orange dot between the trees in front of her. When Rachel finally led her out of the darkness, she was met with a fairly large stretch of land covered in untouched snow that tapered off out of sight. At the far edge was a lamp post like the ones that lined the pond and a small bench with the stars shining brightly above them. The simplicity of it all just made it that much more beautiful.

"I wish the sun was out," Rachel whispered beside her, "And when it's spring, the flowers bloom giving this place a lot more color than is present."

"It's beautiful," Quinn breathed out.

Rachel beamed and began to pull her towards the bench. "Come on, this is the best part."

Quinn walked with Rachel, feeling almost guilty about stepping on the smooth powdered snow. As they got closer to the bench, Quinn could see where the field tapered off to: a real winter wonderland with rows upon rows of houses that were lit by street lamps and Christmas lights and from their position at the top of the steep hill, they could see absolutely everything.

"Wow," Quinn said quietly, "I never knew Lima could be so beautiful."

Rachel hummed in agreement, "Maybe one day we could come here when it's light out."

Quinn smiled and looked over at Rachel to find her staring back, shyly. "I would love that."

Rachel smiled and turned her head back towards the town to hide the blush that was creeping up on her cheeks. She laid her head on Quinn's shoulder as they soaked in the beauty. After a few moments, Quinn's gaze shifted to the brunette that was using her shoulder as a headrest. It was weirdly amazing how comfortable this all was. The desire she had for Rachel just seemed to grow with each passing second and the need to know more about her was overwhelming.

"Do you go to school in New York as well?"

She felt Rachel nod her head against her shoulder. "I attend Julliard as a musical theatre major."

"That's very impressive."

"I know," Quinn looked down to see Rachel smirking playfully. The blonde rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile. Rachel giggled and tightened her hold on Quinn's arm. "It's been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to get into Julliard and out of Lima. So once I graduated from McKinley I- "

"Wait," Quinn held up the hand that was holding Luck's leash. "You went to McKinley?"

"Yes, for four years."

"I went there, too. Junior and senior year."

Rachel's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" Quinn nodded with a smile. "What year did you graduate?"

"2012."

Rachel frowned and turned to face Quinn, retracting her arm so that she could turn Quinn's body to face her. Quinn was confused as she watched Rachel's eyes scan her face furiously, like she was trying to memorize it. The singer brought her hand back to cradle Jinx as she began to slip from her grip, but she didn't take her eyes off of Quinn.

"Rachel?"

The brunette's eyes snapped to hers and she shook her head. "That's really, very odd."

"What is?"

"That we graduated the same year."

Quinn straightened at the confession. That was _very _odd; to go to the same school as someone for two years, graduate with them, and not even remember their face. Especially when that someone was Rachel and it seemed that her brain couldn't get enough of that gorgeous face. How could she not have noticed her?

"That's…impossible," she whispered, her eyes now tracing Rachel to try an spark a memory of seeing her walk down the hall or sitting in class, just _something._

Rachel frowned and turned back towards the view. "I guess it's not. I wasn't very popular, in the slightest. I didn't have very many friends, it you could call them that. I highly doubt I was remembered by many people in our senior class as someone other than a nameless face who was extremely talkative, annoying, a walking slushy target and had great ambitions and talents and two dads. My home was at the bottom of the social ladder and only there. I shouldn't have been surprised."

Quinn's heart broke at Rachel's solemn confession. "Rach-"

"It's okay, Quinn. I'm used to it."

The blonde just shook her head and stepped closer to Rachel, touching her cheek lightly so she would face her. She frowned at the tears that settled in the beautiful brown eyes, and wiped away the one that escaped with her gloved thumb. She wrapped her arms around the shorted girl's neck and pulled her into a hug, careful not to squish Jinx between them. She felt Rachel immediately melt into the embrace, snaking one arm around her waist and burrowing her face into the pale neck. Quinn twisted her head so her mouth was next to her ear.

"It's impossible," she whispered softly, "I would've remembered you."

She felt Rachel stiffen for a second, but then she was smiling. "Why would you want to remember me?"

"Because you're beautiful."

Rachel pulled back to look at Quinn's face, but the blonde kept her arms loosely around her neck. She was very serious. The short brunette blushed when she smiled at her and she ducked her head. "So are you. Absolutely stunning."

Quinn smirked. "But you don't remember me either."

"That may be true," Rachel whispered and lifted her head to stare into the hazel eyes, "But I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I saw you at the airport in New York."

Quinn gasped softly and couldn't keep the silly grin off of her face. She caressed Rachel's cheek with her hand and her eyes drifted down to the most delicious looking lips she's ever seen. She licked her lips and glanced up to the darkening brown eyes, searching for any sign that Rachel didn't want this. She felt the small fingers grip her hip tightly, and when she saw Rachel glance quickly at her lips and back to her eyes, she began to close the distance between them. And she cheered internally when Rachel met her half way.

The second their lips touched, a passion awoke like never before. Quinn tangled her hand into the brown locks, pulling Rachel closer, addicted to the feel of the other girl. She wasn't sure who moaned first, but it cut through the silence of the wonderland around them. Rachel's grip tightened on Quinn's hip and would have pulled their bodies flush together if it wasn't for the animal that had taken up residence in her arms. But once she felt Quinn's tongue swipe slyly across her bottom lip, she almost wanted to drop Jinx right then and there. Instead she opened her mouth, meeting Quinn's tongue with her own.

The battle of tongues and exchange of moans continued until neither girl could breathe. When they pulled apart it was barely a centimeter as they rested their foreheads together, their lips brushing together as they took deep breaths. Quinn opened her eyes and stared at the beauty before her. Rachel had her eyes closed, her eyebrows scrunched up in deep concentration. She swiped away a tear that seeped from behind the closed lids with her thumb, coaxing Rachel to open her eyes. Once the brown orbs met hers, she placed a small, chaste kiss on the swollen lips in front of her.

"Are you okay?" she asked in a whisper, afraid that anything louder would break this wonderful spell they were under.

Rachel nodded, dazed. "It's just a little…overwhelming."

Quinn knew exactly what she meant. That one kiss was like satisfying a long, forgotten craving. She was addicted and, unlike the kisses before, this one felt perfect. The very definition of right. And when Rachel smiled back at her shyly, she couldn't believe her good fortune. But as she leaned back in for another kiss, Jinx reached out and pushed her face away with her paw.

"Hey!" Rachel chastised, though she couldn't help but giggle. She brought the hand that was resting on Quinn's hip up to cradle the squirming cat. "That wasn't very nice, cutie."

Quinn grinned as she watched Jinx snuggle into Rachel's neck. "Here. Switch me."

Rachel placed one last kiss on the cat's head before handing her over and taking Luck's leash, scratching behind the excited husky's ears. Quinn hugged Jinx to her chest and gently knocked their heads together.

"Pain in my ass," she whispered lovingly. Jinx licked her face. Quinn smiled and looked over to see Rachel watching her. She blushed and cleared her throat. "I should probably take these two home."

She watched as Rachel's face dropped slightly before she turned her attention to Luck as he nudged her legs. "O-okay."

"If you want," Rachel looked up and Quinn gave her a shy smile, "you could walk with me back to my house to drop them off. I live just down the street. I could give you a ride home."

Rachel beamed and jumped forward to give Quinn a quick kiss, nodding her head enthusiastically. "I think that is a superb suggestion."

Quinn stared at Rachel's lips for a second longer before smiling and offering an arm. "Lead the way?"

"I'd love to."

* * *

The walk back to the street was filled with idle chatter and simple questions to get to know each other. Quinn learned about Rachel's two dads, the glee club at McKinley that she vaguely remembered Abigail telling her about, her dreams of Broadway, and her life in New York where she was surprised to hear that she was temporarily living with Kurt.

"You live with Kurt?" Rachel nodded, "Kurt Hummel?"

"That's my lovely roommate, yes. Are you friends with him?"

Quinn nodded. "Yeah, since high school. I even see him in New York sometimes. I can't believe he never told me he lived with you."

"Oh, believe me," Rachel chuckled darkly, "He will regret not informing me of your friendship."

In return, Rachel learned more about Quinn's sisters, her mother, her love of art, that she was the girl's soccer captain at McKinley, and even her close, long friendship with Santana.

"That's actually quite frightening."

Quinn smiled and placed a kiss on top of her head. "She's calmed down a lot now that she's hopelessly in love with Brittney."

"Well, thank God for that. Just hearing her name still gives me the urge to glance over my shoulder for a slushy."

Quinn frowned at Rachel, making a mental note to put the Latina through hell the next time she sees her. "You know she lives in New York?"

"I know. I've run into her and always at such odd times."

"Is she still a bitch to you?"

Rachel shrugged. "It's not bad. Old habits just die hard I guess."

Quinn huffed. She couldn't explain this primal need to protect the girl next to her. Actually, she couldn't explain many things concerning the girl next to her, but if Santana so much as looks at her funny, she's going to take her snow boots and shove them so far up her ass, she'd give a new meaning to 'kicked in the gut'. But instead, she pulled Rachel closer to her as they left the park and began the short walk to Quinn's house.

"Do you live by here?" Quinn asked, looking down at Rachel to see her observing the passing houses, decked out in Christmas decorations.

"Just back the other away," she pointed behind them to the block of houses on the other side of the park.

"That's so close."

"I know. It's a miracle we haven't run into each other before."

Quinn nodded because it definitely was a miracle. How much more meaning would her life have had, had she met Rachel back in high school? The artist didn't even want to think about it, because what use would it be to make up some amazing fantasy and the time had already passed?

They crossed the street and Rachel gawked at the large house in front of her. Quinn grabbed her hand and pulled her to the front door, letting her go long enough to get her key in the lock before grabbing her hand again and pulling her into the dark house, closing the door gently behind them. She turned on the small lamp on the table by the door, let Jinx jump from her arms and grabbed Luck's leash when he tried to run up the stairs.

"Back," Quinn whispered and Luck whined but obeyed. She smiled and bent down to take off his collar, "Quietly please."

Luck stared at her for a couple of seconds then turned around and walked softly up the stairs, Jinx following behind him. She shook her head and wondered _how the hell_ Abigail trained that dog. Quinn turned around to find Rachel still by the door staring at the picture hanging on the wall, tracing her gloved fingers over the glass. She sneaked up behind her and snaked her arms around the petite woman's waist. Rachel immediately leaned into the embrace and smiled softly, but didn't look away from the picture.

"I love this."

Quinn raised her eyes to the picture before them and grinned. It was one of her and her sisters; Nora and Quinn sat next to each other on the couch with very similar amused grins, looking up at Abigail who stood behind them with her arms around their shoulders pulling them together, her chin propped on top of their heads and beaming directly at the camera. Even if she couldn't, for the life of her, remember when the picture was taken, it was one of her favorites. "I do too."

"Are these your sisters?" Quinn nodded.

"That's Nora," the artist pointed to the oldest Fabray who, if it wasn't for the darker blonde hair, _slightly_ more mature features, and eyes which were greener than the hazel of Quinn's, could pass for her twin.

"Who resides in California," Rachel smiled, proud of herself for remembering that detail of their conversation on their walk over here and Quinn gave her a congratulatory kiss on the cheek.

"Mhm and this," Quinn moved her finger to the beaming blonde who, despite her shorter hair and sapphire eyes, was actually mistaken as her twin quite often, "is Abigail."

"And who's this?" the diva asked, tracing her fingers over the image of Quinn.

The girl in question smirked and turned her head to place a tender kiss on Rachel's neck before grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together.

"Oh, you don't remember her?" she whispered in the shorter girl's ear.

Rachel shook her head and turned around in Quinn's hold, looping her arms around the blonde's neck, reveling in the feeling of their bodies pressed together without anything between them. "Remind me."

Quinn placed a feather light kiss on her lips.

"Maybe a little more," Rachel grinned and the blonde kissed her again with barely any more pressure than before. She pouted, "Well then, I guess she wasn't that memorable after all."

The artist chuckled and raised her hand to Rachel's cheek, guiding her into a passionate kiss. Rachel moaned and arched into Quinn's hold, tightening the hold around her neck as her legs buckled. Quinn pulled back with a satisfied smirk when she saw that Rachel still had her eyes closed and a content smile on her face. "How about now?"

"Oh yes," Rachel replied breathlessly, nodding her head.

Quinn chuckled, placed one last kiss on her lips, then grabbed her hand and pulled her to the stairs, "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"I have to get my car keys from my bedroom."

When they reached the top of the large staircase, ("You have a very beautiful home, Quinn"), the blonde wasn't surprised to see Luck lying in front of Abigail's door, quietly scratching at the wood. He usually continued that until he either fell asleep or one of the girls awoke and worked up enough energy to get out of bed and let him in. Quinn gave a quiet laugh and led Rachel to her room across the hall. She opened the door and let the other girl walk in before her and when she flicked on the light, Rachel let out a soft gasp.

"Oh my God, Quinn," Rachel whispered as she looked around at all the art work on and leaning against the walls. She walked over and kneeled down by a large, gorgeous painting that looked off over a lawn with two people, covered in shadow by the overhanging trees, sitting together in the middle of the green and yellow grass and were facing a lagoon that lead to the ocean. But most of the canvas was taken up by the vibrant blue sky and beautiful puffs and swirls of white and gray clouds. She stared at the picture for a moment; it was breathtaking and she had a fleeting feeling she knew exactly where this place was, but couldn't quite place it. There were other works of art behind the canvas and she reached out as if to look through them, but hesitated and looked to Quinn for permission. Quinn gave her an encouraging nod and Rachel beamed at her before sifting through the variety of pieces. "Did you do all of these?"

Quinn nodded with a slightly embarrassed smile. She grabbed her car keys from her dresser, pet Jinx on the head and walked over to Rachel. She stopped behind her, watching over her shoulder as she went through her own works of art and noticed that a few of them she could hardly remember making, but her signature was there in the bottom right corner as it always was. She sat down behind Rachel and rested her chin on her shoulder and smiled when the adorable brunette would gasp in awe or lightly run her fingers over the face of the canvas. When Rachel was finished looking through the art, she neatly placed it all back in its previous position and leaned back into Quinn's body, looking around at the rest of the paintings and drawings that covered the walls in the blonde's rather large room.

"You're an extremely talented individual, Quinn," she whispered, grabbing one of the girl's hands and wrapping it around her waist and lacing their fingers together.

"I know," Quinn smirked.

"So arrogant."

The artist chuckled and nipped playfully at Rachel's neck, soothing it over with her tongue and trailing butterfly kisses up to her jaw and to her cheek. She got to the corner of Rachel's smile when the brunette turned her head to capture her lips with her own. Quinn reached up and ran her fingers through the dark tresses, pulling the other girl closer.

"I don't know what it is," she said between kisses, "but I can't stop kissing you."

Rachel pulled away with a mischievous grin, "It's the lips. I've been told they're quite kissable."

"Oh God, yes."

Rachel laughed and tried to scoot away from Quinn as she tried to kiss any surface of her face that she could reach. The blonde grabbed her hips and pulled her back into her body, leaning forward so Rachel fell back to the floor trapped under her. Rachel squealed when Quinn attached her lips to her pulse point and moaned at the light bite to her skin. Quinn smirked in accomplishment and pulled back to see Rachel staring back at her, eyes dark and wanting. She lifted a hand and tucked a stray strand brown hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek lovingly.

"So gorgeous," she whispered. Rachel blushed, but continued to stare at the girl above her, tracing her features with her eyes. Hesitantly she raised her hand to a scar above Quinn's left eye that she couldn't see earlier because of the hair that falls naturally into the blonde's face and the dim light. She saw Quinn wince slightly at the pressure and with an apologetic smile she only let her fingers lightly ghost over the rise of skin.

"What happened?"

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed and she raised her hand to her eye, grabbing Rachel's hand in the process. Her finger tentatively traced over the scar ran along her eye socket. It was surprisingly long, about half the length of her middle finger and was mostly hidden by her eyebrow, but she could feel it. And it felt like it was deep.

"I don't remember."

Rachel frowned and moved their hands to the scar once more before leaning up on her elbow and placing a gentle kiss on the paler, raised skin. She pulled back and smiled at Quinn, who looked very touched by the simple gesture. She gave a small, shy smile back and leaned forward to kiss her again, brushing their noses together causing Rachel to giggle. They kissed lazily for only a few seconds before a muffled _thump_ and the sound of childish laughter interrupted them. Rachel twisted around as best as she could with Quinn situated on top of her and looked at the door surprised. Quinn rolled her eyes and leaned her forehead on Rachel's shoulder, exasperated with the continuous interruptions.

"What was that?" Rachel whispered, turning back to the blonde with a raised eyebrow. Quinn shook her head and placed one last kiss on the girl's lips before standing up and holding out a hand.

"You can never be too sure in this house," she said, helping Rachel off of the floor, "Come on."

They crept towards the door and Quinn opened it and turned off her bedroom light. Lying on the floor in the middle of her doorway was Abigail rubbing her forehead and smiling at Luck who was next to her. At the sound of the door opening, the cheerleader turned her head to look with still slightly red eyes, beaming at the sight of her sister.

"Quinn!" she squealed, turning on to her stomach and pushing herself up on her elbows and rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Hello to you!"

Quinn chuckled. "What happened?"

Abigail pushed herself up into a sitting position and groaned, grabbing her head again. "I hit my head with the door, but Luck was here to cheer me up." She explained with a smile, patting Luck on the head. The dog licked her hand then stood up and walked into Abigail's darkened room.

Quinn shook her head and stepped into the hallway, holding Rachel's hand and pulling her with her. Abigail turned around from watching Luck walk away and when her eyes fell on Rachel, she gasped loudly. The two girls looked at her expectantly, but for a moment, the cheerleader just stared. Slowly, a brilliant smile crept onto Abigail's face and she stood up unsteadily and stepped towards the two.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had company," she said quickly, nearly bouncing with excitement, "in your bedroom."

A small blush made its appearance on both girls' cheeks before Quinn cleared her throat. "Right, yeah, this is Rachel. I met her at the park down the street. I was just about to give her a ride home. Rachel, this is my younger sister Abigail."

"Salutations," Abby held out her hand and shook Rachel's excitedly. So excitedly, in fact, that she didn't stop and it was only when Quinn reached out and separated them that Rachel got her hand back, but it seemed that she found that all quite amusing which was a relief.

"Salutations, Abigail," said Rachel with a giggle. Her hand bumped into Quinn's on its way back to her side and, like magnets, their fingers interlaced. Abigail stared intently at their hands and let out a sigh of content.

"The light now shines as brightly as ever," she whispered and Quinn and Rachel gave her a questioning look. Before she could open her mouth to give what would probably be one long nonsensical explanation, a tired voice called from the pitch black room behind her.

"Abigail? What are you doing? Come back to bed."

Rachel arched an intrigued eyebrow and Quinn smirked. The cheerleader turned toward the voice and giggled before skipping happily into her room.

"Baby! Come – ow, it's dark in here – come here, get up. Up!"

"Stop jumping on the bed," The voice groaned. "Abby, it's late. Go back to sleep. "

"No no no, it's not sleep time – oh god, you're like dead weight – it's a time for a celebration. For good times. So come on!"

Abigail half lead, half dragged a semi-awake Amy into the dimly lit hallway. The dark haired girl paused in the doorway when she saw Rachel. Her tired green eyes darted quickly from the brunette, to Quinn, to their linked hands and then back to Rachel before a small smile appeared on her face.

"Hello, Rachel."

"Hello, Amy," Rachel greeted surprised, but with a bright smile, "It's great to see you again." Quinn looked between them.

"You guys know each other?"

Rachel nodded. "We were good friends in high school."

Amy smiled in agreement and closed her eyes, leaning back into Abigail who had wrapped her arms around her waist. "Small world, isn't it?"

Quinn and Rachel glanced at each other; it certainly was a small world, but they were still separated by the sheer amount of people taking up the space. To Quinn, it felt like so much fucking wasted time and it must've shown in her eyes because Rachel leaned up on her toes and kissed her on the cheek, instantly easing her frustrations like it was the most natural thing in the world. And if it weren't for those other people in the hallway she'd do what felt most natural to her and return the kiss, passionately, but she'd settle for getting lost in those bottomless eyes.

"Look at them," Abigail whispered to Amy who opened her eyes tiredly. "They're so perfect together."

Amy sighed. She made sure to speak quietly as to not disturb Rachel and Quinn's silent conversation. "Unfortunately, they're not together."

"Well, let's see, yeah?" The cheerleader placed a quick kiss on her girlfriend's cheek before lifting her head and breaking the other two out of their staring contest. "So, are you guys dating?"

"Oh my – Abigail!" Amy chastised, turning her head to glare at the oblivious cheerleader. "Learn some tact."

Abigail waved her off. "Tact is a waste of time."

Both Rachel and Quinn were red with embarrassment. Quinn brought a hand to her forehead and shook her head while Rachel cleared her throat and attempted to answer without her voice cracking.

"No. No, we're not dating," Rachel said quietly, completely aware that their connected hands say otherwise, but she'd be _damned_ if she were to let go now.

"Do you want to be?" Abigail asked innocently with a large grin, ignoring Amy's elbow that jabbed her sharply in the ribs. Quinn, her cheeks burning, narrowed her eyes at her sister.

"Abigail -"

"Because you guys can, it'll work, though I'm sure you figured that out already -"

"- I'm going to kill you."

" – after whatever it was you guys were doing in Quinn's bedroom."

Quinn palmed her face, while Rachel hid hers slightly against the blonde's arm. Amy did a double take at the thoroughly embarrassed couple, raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to comment before shaking her head and turning around to push Abigail back into her room. She threw an apologetic glance at the two girls.

"I am _so_ sorry about her," the raven-haired girl apologized, mostly to Rachel, as she struggled to move her girlfriend who seemed to be rooted to the spot and enjoying the humiliation. "The filter from her brain to her mouth is temporarily broken, though it's not that great when it's fully functioning anyways."

"It's fine," Rachel said, her cheeks still tinted pink, but she smiled nonetheless. Abigail beamed happily at her.

"Amy! Babe, she said it was fine! Allow me to plant the seeds! This is the most opportune growing time!"

Amy shook her head, finally managing to at least get Abigail into her room, "Permission denied, sorry. We've celebrated, you embarrassed the hell out of Rachel and Quinn, now it's time for sleep. Besides, I'm sure they're more than capable of planting their own seeds. "

Abigail pouted. "You're no fun."

"I guess I'll have to work on that while your mom is out of town," Amy smirked

"Oh," Abigail wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, "you naughty girl."

Amy laughed and turned around to wave at the two girls still standing close together in the hallway. "Goodnight, girls." Abigail peeked around her girlfriend to beam one more time at Quinn and Rachel, who immediately steeled themselves for another tactless barrage of questions.

"Fate and destiny walk hand in hand," she said cryptically and only giggled at the questioning stares. "Goodnight!"

Amy shut the door with an eye roll and another apologetic smile. For a second, they stood there silently, letting the humiliation pass. Rachel chuckled and looked at Quinn who still had her hand to her head and was staring at the door with an expression akin to shock and embarrassment.

"Is that normal behavior for her?"

"Today has been a special day for her," Quinn answered with a sheepish grin as she began to lead Rachel to the front door, "I hope she didn't make you too uncomfortable."

Rachel smiled and shook her head, "As embarrassing as that was, I found it all really adorable and quite amusing. Besides," she bit her lip shyly and diverted her eyes in favor of looking at the picture that lined the stairwell, "it's not like that was something I hadn't thought about before."

"Really?" Quinn asked surprised and sort of hopeful as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Rachel nodded. "So w-what do you think about – about this?"

The brunette looked into the hazel eyes and leaned up to give her a short but powerful kiss. She stayed close, their foreheads connected, their noses brushing against each other.

"I think this is something special."

Quinn smiled and wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist and pulling her flush against her body.

"Me too."

* * *

The car ride was quick, and filled with scarce chatter, shy, lingering glances and connected hands. Quinn cursed her gloves because she's been aching to touch Rachel's skin since the airport just to see if it's as soft as it looks. When she pulled up in front of Rachel's house, she found she couldn't let her leave. It was painful to even think about watching the diva walk away, even if it was just for the night or that she was just down the street or that she just fucking met her. The brunette made her feel something that she's missed and needed and it would kill her to give it up now. So, to lengthen the time they had together, she captured Rachel's lips in a passionate, languid kiss that kept them busy for minutes neither girl cared to keep count for.

This was the most comfortable Quinn had ever felt, and it was with a woman she just met no more than two hours ago. It was like they had been doing this for years, it was so natural. She knew she should be worried; she was never a believer of love at first sight, but this must be what it felt like. She was like a junkie who had found free smack on the sidewalk. A puzzle whose last piece was finally found after hours upon hours of searching for it. A homeless person who just found out she won the lottery. There was a connection between her and Rachel that was so powerful, so intense and so unique, she'd be the dumbest bitch alive if she let it pass her by.

When they finally pulled away, they were breathing hard and Quinn's windows were foggy, but they were all smiles. Rachel bit her lip and glanced at her house before looking back to Quinn shyly.

"Would you like to come inside?"

Quinn beamed and kissed her one last time.

"I would love to."

* * *

**A/N: Hate to leave it there, but it's necessary. You will not be finding out what happens next until much later, but because I feel bad I will tell you that they DO NOT have sex when they go inside...you dirty birdies. I hope you enjoyed this. I hope you all stick around till the end. I hope I get to the end. Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 1

********

****

**A/N: Okay, this was actually a quick upload. The prologue was written in a span of months, this chapter was written in a couple of days. So...if it's not as good as the other chapter, that's okay, this is a chapter to just get things going. This chapter may be confusing (so will this entire story), but if you have questions, by all mean ask them. And I will answer them with a smile, but not until the end of the chapter, just in case it contains spoilers for the current chapter. For those of you who have seen this movie, I hope you appreciate my attempts to make this story kind of different. It's a job, but a fun job. **

**Also, this story will be written will mostly take place in memories, which are forms of dreams. Which means it might get kind of confusing. For that I aologize. So read. Enjoy. Ponder.

* * *

**

**December 11, 2013**

Quinn just wanted this nightmare to end.

The drive back to her apartment was a blur of tears that she refused to let fall and nervous glances at the unmarked white van that had been following her home. She parked in her designated spot and trudged her way up the stairs to the front door of her apartment complex, chancing one last look at the van that had stopped in front of the building. She could just make out Karen waving at her from the passenger seat, a small, sympathetic smile gracing her soft features and her brother Mitchell nodding his greeting from behind the wheel. The dark haired angels there to fix the heart that they had helped destroy.

She clutched her keys and the pharmaceutical bag tightly in her hand and walked quickly into her building and up the first couple flights of stairs, ready to just get it all over with. Quinn was so lost in her thoughts that it wasn't until she was halfway down the hall that she noticed someone sitting in front of her door. She stopped and stared, her hand clenching reflexively around the medicine bag. Max narrowed her eyes and stood up from her spot on the floor, moving slowly out of the way so Quinn could get to the door. With a dropping heart, she spotted the yellow letter crumpled tightly in the other girl's fists. She sighed, opened the door and walked in without acknowledging the other girl, throwing her keys and the bag on the coffee table.

Max stomped in after her, fully ready to tear Quinn a new one, but when the lights came on and the artist turned towards her and waited, the angered words died in her throat. Quinn looked _sick_. There were bags under her tear stained eyes; Max was sure the blonde had got a total number of five hours of sleep for the entire week of finals, if that. She was very pale and was leaning heavily against her sofa and it looked as if that was the main thing that was keeping her from collapsing. Her face was void of _any_ emotion, it was almost frightening. Max looked around the living room with a frown; Quinn had taken down all the pictures of Rachel, including a couple of paintings that were hanging up, leaving her walls looking plain and depressing. She walked over and leaned against the back of the couch next to Quinn, already sensing her defeat.

"So what happens now?"

Quinn sighed and looked down that the note in Max's hand, ignoring the familiar sting behind her eyes. "Now, you go home."

Max's eyes snapped to hers as she opened her mouth to retort. "Quinn -"

"No. Go home. Do exactly what that letter tells you to do," Quinn growled, her hazel eyes sparkling dangerously. Quinn took off her jacket, laying it across the arm of the couch and plopped down tiredly into the cushions. Max crossed her arms.

"You'll regret it, you know," she spoke to the blonde's back. Quinn seemed to deflate as she dropped her head into her hands.

"Fuck, Max," she whispered, her voice cracking, "Please, just leave me alone."

"You're seriously going through with this?" Max asked incredulously as she stared daggers at the bag on the table.

Quinn closed her eyes, her fist clenching in her hair. "I don't know what else to do."

"There are other ways to deal with this."

"Like what, Maxine!" Quinn shouted and stood up, spinning around to face the other girl. Max shut her mouth; the look of pure rage on Quinn's face was scarier than when it was just blank. "I want to fix us so badly, but there is no _us _anymore. We can never be together like this. I've stayed up for _days_ thinking of ways that I could have saved us. I don't even know who to blame anymore, because what does it matter? I can't have her. And I miss her," the anger seemed to disappear, leaving a great feeling of despair in its wake, making her eyes flood. "God, I-I miss her _so_ much. I think about her all the time, I dream about her. I can't get over her, I don't even know if I want to get over her and it _kills _me. But then you look at Rachel," she paused, biting her lip as tears leaked steadily from her eyes, "and she's _happy_. She's smiling and laughing. At perfect fucking peace because she has absolutely _no idea_ who I am anymore."

Max watched sadly as Quinn shook with the force of her sobs. She walked over and wrapped her arms around the crying woman's shoulders and pulling her into a hug before her legs completely gave out from under her. She couldn't remember ever seeing the blonde so broken.

"God, Quinn," Max whispered into her hair.

"I can't get her out of my head, Max," Quinn cried into her shoulder. "I've tried. I've tried _so hard_, I swear."

"I know. I'm so sorry, Quinn," Max said quietly, pulling away to wipe the tears from her friend's face. She hated that the artist was in so much pain and she couldn't do a thing about it. After a few minutes Quinn seemed to calm down, her body wrenching sobs reduced to a few sniffs as she seemed to crawl back into that protective shell. Max pressed a soft kiss to Quinn's cheek. "If you really want to do this, I won't stop you. I just hope you've thought everything through." Quinn gave a tiny, teary smile.

"I just want to be happy again."

Max nodded. "You deserve to be happy." She pulled her into another hug and closed her eyes against the onset of tears. "I just want to let you know, I'm going to be a total bitch to you tomorrow because of this."

Quinn chuckled shakily, "Thank you."

The shorter girl smiled and leaned up to place a kiss on her cheek. "I love you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," Quinn whispered. "I love you too."

Max bid her farewell until the next morning and left the apartment. Quinn sighed and snatched the medicine bag off the table and headed to her room. Her body moved on autopilot as she got into her pajamas and brushed her teeth, pointedly keeping her eyes away from her newly plain walls. She did not need to be reminded of what she got rid of. Of what she's _getting_ rid of. Quinn closed her eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths and sat down on the edge of her bed.

It would all be over soon.

She glanced at the clock. It was eight, that would mean Santana and Brittany were back in Lima. She picked up her phone hesitantly; they would've gotten the letter before they left for the airport and she wasn't quite sure how Santana reacted to it. She dialed a number she had memorized for years and closed her eyes as it rang a couple of times before the line was picked up, but the only thing that could be heard at first was hard incensed breathing. She bit her lip and waited patiently for Santana to find the proper words to convey just how angry she was with her. There was a shuffle on the other end and a much brighter voice greeted Quinn.

"Hi, Quinn," said Brittany happily, ignoring the angry demands from Santana in the background.

"B, give me the phone!"

"Hey, Brittany," Quinn whispered, smiling only slightly at the small, short reprieve from Santana's anger.

"San seemed to have forgotten what she was going to say."

"B, let me speak to her, now!"

"Will you be nice?"

"No. I'm going to verbally kick her ass. Let me talk to that fucking bitch!"

"It's okay, Brittany."

Quinn heard Brittany sigh on the other end and there was another shuffle before the incensed breathing was back.

"You are a fucking coward," came the low dangerous voice.

Quinn dropped her head and grabbed the pill container from her night stand, twirling the unlabeled bottle in her hand. "I know."

There was a pause, like Santana expected to have to convince Quinn f how much of a coward she really was. "I assume this shit is supposed to be happening tonight."

"Yeah."

"Fuck, Quinn!" Santana cursed under her breath, "Why didn't you say anything?"

Quinn sighed and stood up to walk over to her window that overlooked her street. She peeked through the blinds at the parked white van. "Probably the same reason Rachel never said anything."

"Like that's supposed to fucking help me."

"Because this is the only way to feel better," she whispered into the phone, mostly talking to herself. Her eyes had taken on a glazed look that had translated to her tired voice. "No one else would understand that."

She let the blinds fall back in their place and listened to the silence on the other end. No one would understand. No one, that she knew, had to deal with losing the love of their life the way she lost the love of her life. Santana seemed to understand that.

"Still," Santana said with less steam than before, "you should've told me."

Quinn smiled and walked out of her bedroom towards her bathroom across the hall. She stopped in front of her broken mirror and stared at her many reflections. She could hardly recognize herself anymore. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, fuck you," the Latina whispered. Quinn almost laughed because she could tell that Santana was trying to hide her hurt and worry behind her snark. "So what do you want?"

Quinn opened the medicine container and poured out the only thing in there into the palm of her hand. She stared hard at the small pill and enclosed it tightly in her fist. "I need you to wake me up tomorrow morning."

"Okay, what time?"

"Six o'clock."

"Oh, you bitch."

"Please?" Quinn turned on the faucet and filled up a small paper cup.

"God, fine," she could almost hear Santana rolling her eyes. "Anything else, Princess?"

"Just try to act normal tomorrow."

"Go fuck yourself."

"Great. Bye."

Before she hung up there was another shuffle and Brittany's bubbly voice came on the line.

"Bye Quinn!" she squealed into the phone.

The artist chuckled. "Goodbye, Britt."

"I hope you feel better tomorrow."

Quinn bit her lip and opened her hand to stare at the pill. This was supposed to guarantee ignorant bliss. Promised happiness. "You know what B, ask me about it tomorrow." She let a sad smile creep onto her face. "I think I'm already starting to feel better."

"Okay!" Brittany said happily. "Good night, Q!"

"Night, B."

She hung up the phone and without a moment's hesitation; she popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed it down with a gulp of water. The effects were instantaneous, but incredibly subtle at first. The lights in the bathroom seemed to be progressively getting brighter until she had to squint her eyes. She turned to leave and nearly stumbled into the wall as she turned off the lights. It felt like she was very drunk, without the laughter or the puking, as she crashed into walls and almost fell on her face a couple of times. She grabbed a hold on her dresser as the world began to tilt and turn and when her cell phone and the medicine container dropped out of her hand, she didn't trust herself to bend down and pick them up. With a few deep breaths, she cautiously let go of her dresser, knocked over her luggage and took a few unsteady steps towards her bed as her world began to blur and black out completely.

* * *

Karen stared hard at Quinn's window, waiting for a sign. She turned to her brother as he fiddled with the radio.

"I think it's time."

Mitchell looked up from the radio to the dark windows of Quinn's bedroom. He turned off the engine and grinned.

"Ten bucks says she didn't make it to her bed."

Karen rolled her eyes. "That's a terrible thing to bet on."

"Twenty bucks."

"Okay."

The two siblings exited the van, juggled all of their equipment from the back and struggled with them across the street to Quinn's building, all the while trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. They climbed up the stairs, smiling nonchalantly at the residents that walk passed them, and by the time they were at Quinn's door they were panting. Mitchell shifted everything over so he could open the door and the two of them stumbled over the threshold. Karen took a look around.

"This is a nice place," she said quietly, peeking into the kitchen, then the living room. Mitchell rolled his eyes.

"You'll have hours to explore the apartment, so come on. This shit is heavy."

They carried everything into the bedroom, where they found Quinn sprawled out on the floor by her bed. Mitchell beamed and carefully placed everything at the foot of the bed, stepping over Quinn's fallen luggage.

"Pay up, little one."

Karen smirked. "You still owe me twenty from the last job we did, so let's call it even."

"Damn," the brother grumbled, "Should've bet more. Come on; let's get her on the bed."

They moved over to Quinn and, with Mitchell at her head and Karen at her feet, they picked her up and placed her gently on her bed and under the covers. They then began to set up; Karen picked up the luggage and lined them up neatly by the door, grabbed Quinn's cell phone from the floor and placed it on the bedside table, and grabbed the empty medicine container, putting it in her bag. Mitchell set the fold up table next to the bed, by Quinn's head, and began to plug in their computer, a small television set and the infinite number of wires they had carried in with them. Karen picked up a strange helmet device that had wires connecting it to the computer and the small TV set, placing it carefully over Quinn's head. She straightened up and looked around.

"Did you plug everything in?"

"Yes."

"Correctly?"

"Yes."

"…are you sure?"

"I'm going to kick you in the face," Mitchell growled as he turned on the TV set and an x-ray of Quinn's brain showed up on the screen. He booted up the computer and grinned when everything seemed to be running smoothly. He watched the little green dots, signifying target memories, begin to glow in several areas of the brain. Karen left the room and returned with two chairs from the dining room table, grabbing two beers from the trusty cooler they had brought with them. "Looks like we're ready to begin."

Karen sighed and sat back in her chair, staring at Quinn, "The poor thing."

* * *

Quinn opened her eyes to a couple of voices. They were distant, somewhat muted, but it sounded familiar. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to ignore the noise.

_You're seriously going through with this…_

Quinn growled in frustration. The voices seemed to be getting louder.

"I don't know what else to do," she mumbled into her pillow.

_There are other ways to deal with this…_

"Like what, Maxine!" Quinn's eyes snapped open and she turned to see Max staring at her from the other side of the couch. She closed her mouth and looked around her; she was standing in the middle of her living room and a faint feeling of anger was simmering in her veins. Slowly the fire hot rage cooled down until she was shivering with sadness and before she knew what was going on, a couple of arms encircled her. Reflexively, she buried her face into the shoulder that was comforting her.

"God Quinn…"

_I can't stop thinking of her_. She remembered the words clearly, in fact she could hear them being said, but she didn't open her mouth to speak them. Max seemed to understand her though because her arms tightened around her and she's wiping the tears from her face and whispering her apologies.

"I just want to be happy again," Quinn whispered to herself, staring at the floor. She can hear Max answer her but she didn't pay attention to her. There's another voice coming from the bedroom and she walked around Max who stayed in place and continued talking like she never moved.

Behind her, she heard the front door close, but she paid it no mind as she walked to her bed where her cell phone sat on the comforter. She picked it up and placed it to her ear.

"Fuck Quinn! Why didn't you say anything?"

Quinn didn't answer, but again her response rang out like there was a PA system in her room.

"Like that's supposed to fucking help me." Santana answered her from the other side of the phone.

_Because this is the only way to feel better._ Quinn bit her lip and walked to her bathroom. She stopped in front of her mirror, grimacing at her broken reflection and she could feel the tears running down her face.

_No one else would understand that._

* * *

"Tina's coming by later."

Mitchell looked up from getting rid of the last memory. He pushed his glasses up his nose and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why?"

Karen shrugged as she flipped through an US magazine. "I guess she wants to witness an erasing first hand, you know?"

"But this is like the most boring shit in the world," Mitchell grumbled as he moved on to another memory.

"At least it beats having to be stuck here with you all night."

Mitchell gave her the bird and Karen just laughed.

********

* * *

**December 9, 2013**

"I'm going to get back together with Rachel."

Quinn stood in front of Santana and Brittany at their apartment (while Puck and Sam, who were visiting, were out exploring the city) biting her lip and fidgeting with her fingers. Their silence began to make her feel nervous so she began to pace.

"I-I know it's going to be hard, but I have to try," she said, almost desperately. "I can't sleep without her. I miss her so much. We – I mean, I have a chance right? We could get passed all of this shit."

She looked between her two oldest friends. Santana seemed to be avoiding her eyes, but Brittany looked as if she was about to cry. Finally Santana cleared her throat and looked up.

"Maybe," she whispered, looking away once again, "maybe it's best if you just forget her Q."

Quinn was taken aback. Then she angry.

"Forget her? What the fuck, Santana?" she growled. "You were the one telling me to 'pull my head out of my ass and ask the midget out again.' Now you're telling me to-to just forget her?"

"Hey, look, I told you to do that right after Thanksgiving and you're just now deciding that your ass isn't the best home for your stupid head?" Santana argued back defensively, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well guess what, now you're too fucking late. The only option you have left is to forget about her and leave her alone."

Quinn shook her head. She couldn't accept that. She _needed_ Rachel. "I'm getting her back."

"You _can't_, Quinn," the Latina seethed, but her voice was laced with sadness. Quinn clenched her fist.

"Why not?"

"Because she doesn't remember you."

Santana and Quinn's heads snapped to Brittany, who was looking down at her hands. Quinn furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and she looked towards Santana for an explanation and she had her head in her hands. Something in Quinn's chest broke, like her heart realized something dreadful that her brain just wanted to deny.

"Of course she remembers me," Quinn whispered. A tear fell out of Brittany's eye. "What-What are you talking about?"

Santana let out a deep sigh. She stood up and walked over to Brittany, bending down to whisper into the blonde's ear. Brittany nodded, gave Santana a quick kiss, stood up and walked to the bedroom. The Latina straightened up and motioned for Quinn to follow her. They walked into the kitchen and Quinn leaned against the counter next to Santana, who opened a drawer filled with mail.

"It upsets Brittany," she mumbled under her breath. She lifted the entire pile, moved a couple of papers out of the way until she revealed a yellow medium sized card with a small message on it. She picked it up, looked it over and grimaced before handing it over to Quinn with sympathetic eyes.

"I'm sorry, Quinn."

With shaking hands, Quinn snatched the card from her and read the short message that, while it may be getting erased from her brain, will forever be painfully etched into her heart.

_Rachel Berry has had Quinn Fabray erased from her memory. Please never mention their relationship to her again._

Even as she stared at it, Rachel's name seemed to fade away.

"I don't – I don't understand," Quinn whispered. Her eyes began to flood with tears. "What is this?"

"It's this place," Santana answered quietly. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Quinn with a soft expression. "They erase memories."

Quinn shook her head, dislodging a few tears so they fell down her cheeks. She looked back down at the card in her hand that was now blank except for the company name in the top right corner: Lacuna, Inc..

"This isn't real," she ran her fingers over the wording. Just like the day it happened, it felt like Quinn's world had just ended. She knew it to be true. She felt it. Her body shook and Santana grabbed Quinn's hand that was gripping the counter so hard, her knuckles turned white. "This can't be happening."

But it did happen. Quinn knew this, she remembered it. She wiped the tears from her face and turned around to leave the kitchen, leaving Santana staring at the empty space where she was just standing. When she entered the living room again, she could hear murmurs coming from the bedroom. Sniffing, she walked to the room and pushed open the door, revealing a book store. The very book store that Rachel worked at.

Gripping the blank yellow card tightly in her hands, Quinn walked quickly over to the aisle she remembered Rachel being in on this day. She was so focused on finding the brunette; she didn't care to marvel that the people around her were silent, but were moving their mouths as though they were speaking. She just needed to find Rachel, to hug her and kiss her and tell her just how fucking sorry she was. And, like her body knew exactly what to do, she turned her head sharply to the left and found the object of her desire placing books back on the shelves. She charged towards her and, just as she opened her mouth to call out, a hand closed around her arm and yanked her behind a book shelf. Another hand was slapped over her mouth and there was a second of blinding terror that ran through Quinn's body before she realized it was just Santana.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" the Latina hissed at her. Quinn grabbed her hand and ripped it from her face. Her hazel eyes were blazing with frustration.

"I'm going to see Rachel."

Santana shook her head and pushed her against the shelf, keeping her there with an arm across Quinn's chest.

"You _can't._ Didn't I just fucking tell you that before you stormed out of my apartment?"

"This isn't real, Santana," Quinn whispered harshly at her, waving the card in front of her face. "She remembers me."

"She doesn't."

Tears leaked out of Quinn's eyes and the fight seemed to leave her body as she leaned against the book case. "She has to," she cried desperately.

Santana seemed to deflate as well and she gently grabbed Quinn's arm and pulled her out of the aisle. They only went a couple of shelves over before Santana pushed the blonde into an empty aisle on the other side of where Rachel was working.

"Stay. Here." Santana demanded in a whisper and Quinn didn't even have the energy to argue back so she leaned tiredly against the shelf.

Santana turned on her heel and walked around the bookshelf.

"Hey, Berry."

"S-Santana!" came Rachel's surprised voice and Quinn couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Looking for books. Obviously."

"Well, of course, but, I meant _here_, in New York."

The smile from Quinn's face dropped instantly.

"Well, you're not the only one to escape the confines of Lima, Ohio.

"No, of-of course not," Rachel backtracked nervously, "So do you go to school here?"

"Columbia."

"Really? Congratulations."

"Thanks."

There was a small pause in the conversation, but Quinn hardly noticed. Her heart was beating so hard and so fast, she was worried it was going to blow her cover.

"So, Berry," Santana drawled and Quinn could hear the smirk in her voice. "Is there any special woman in your life?"

Quinn's hand clenched around the message still in her hand and she had to restrain herself from walking around the corner and punching Santana in the face. Instead she waited with bated breath, praying that no one had already taken Rachel away from her.

"How did you – I mean, I've never told anyone…"

"What? That you're gay? What's wrong with that?"

She could hear Rachel huff. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with being gay and I have no problem with it. It's just, I've never told anyone nor have I ever experienced anything with a woman, so I'm just surprised that you would have assumed correctly that I was attracted to the fairer sex. But to answer your question, no, there isn't a special woman in my life."

In that moment, Quinn's heart seemed to suddenly stop. The very thing that she feared was true, but she already knew it was.

_There isn't a special woman in my life. _

She didn't stay to listen to the rest of the conversation. She needed to get out of there. She just wanted to forget this already because it was breaking her heart all over again. She rushed to the exit, pushing people out of the way, though it seemed that they didn't even notice her and would continue with their silent conversations. She threw open the double doors and stepped out into the cold air to find herself in front of a brick building with a small, barely noticeable sign that said simply: Lacuna, Inc..

Taking a deep breath, Quinn walked into the building to find a waiting room already filled with people, some that had boxes filled with all kinds of stuff in front of them. She walked cautiously to the counter where the receptionist was printing out more of those yellow message cards with her back to her. Quinn cleared her throat.

"Excuse me?"

The receptionist turned around and the two women gasped.

"Tina?"

"Shit," Tina whispered and rolled her chair over to the counter. "Quinn, wh-what are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Quinn lowered her voice as to not attract attention.

"I _work_ here," Tina explained nervously. Quinn narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips before throwing the crumpled message onto Tina's desk. The receptionist stared at the card and sighed. She looked up at Quinn with a guilty, apologetic look before reaching over and grabbing a clip board with a bunch of forms on it and handing it to the blonde. "Here. Fill this out. I'll try to get you in as soon as possible."

"I'm not interested in getting the procedure," Quinn said coldly, "I just want to talk."

"You still have to fill it out, I'm sorry," Tina said quietly, avoiding the hard hazel eyes. Quinn sighed, snatched up the clip board and the message and sat down to fill out the forms that were just like the doctor's forms she remembered her mom filling out for her when she was a kid. Just as she signed her last signature, Tina had called her name. She stood up and followed the nervous woman to an office in the back. She knocked a couple of times and they both waited.

"Come in."

Tina opened the door and walked in with Quinn behind her. A middle aged Asian man sat behind the desk surrounded by papers, the name tag on the table read: Dr. Tim Cohen. The doctor looked up at them as they entered and smiled.

"This is Quinn Fabray," said Tina, motioning to Quinn. Quinn nodded her head in a greeting. "She wanted to talk to you. It's rather important."

"Of course!" said Cohen, waving his hand towards the chair. "Please, sit down, Ms. Fabray."

Quinn looked at Tina, who gave an encouraging smile before she left them alone, and she slowly sat down in front of Cohen's desk.

"So, what can I help you with?"

Quinn gulped and instead of forcing her to voice her 'problem', she dropped the message card onto the pile of papers on the doctor's desk. Cohen frowned and picked up the letter, reading it over. He sighed sadly and looked at Quinn with the same apologetic look that she's been getting from everyone. And she's tired of it. He shook his head pushed the letter back towards the blonde.

"You shouldn't have seen this."

Quinn wanted to scoff; because _of course_ she was going to see it. How could she not when she and Rachel shared the same fucking friends. Instead, she leaned forward and placed her head into her hands.

"Fuck," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Fabray," Cohen said quietly, sounding genuinely apologetic for having helped cause the young woman so much pain.

Quinn leaned back in her chair, looking towards the ceiling to keep the tears from falling. "Why would she do this to me?"

Dr. Cohen sighed and clasped his hands in front of him. "I don't think she did this as a way to get back at you." He said matter of factly and Quinn looked at him, waiting. "The majority of these patients come here on impulse. They don't think things through before deciding to do the procedure. But then there are some that just…seem to need this. Like this was their last resort. While it may not be my business and while this is only the point of view of someone on the outside looking in, I will say that Rachel Berry came here while she was quite literally at the end of her rope. Had she not come here to get the procedure done, I fear she would've turned to more…drastic measures to get rid of her pain."

At the thought of Rachel wanting to commit suicide because of her, tears began to fall heavily from Quinn's eyes. She had no idea how much she was hurting the small diva and at that very moment, she _hated_ herself. She made herself sick. She looked up at the doctor only briefly before snatching up the letter and nearly running out of the office and the building, ignoring the calls of her name. Once outside, she walked a little bit down the sidewalk and leaned against the building. She took a few deep breaths before breaking down in tears.

She slid to the floor and covered her mouth as she shook. How did this happen? When did she and Rachel become so broken? They were forever. She knew they were.

The sound of footsteps caused her to look up and she was actually relieved to see that it was Tina and not some stranger. Tina didn't say anything; she just took a seat next to Quinn and waited. Finally, after several long minutes, Quinn opened her mouth to speak.

"Why do you work here?"

Tina looked down at her hands. "Dr. Cohen is my uncle. He's helping me pay for school."

Quinn nodded, wiping some of the tears from her face. "Did you – did you erase Rachel's mind?"

"No," Tina answered right away, "I'm just a receptionist at the moment."

"Did you talk to Rachel?"

Tina gulped and nodded, still avoiding eye contact. Quinn sniffed.

"What-what did she say?"

Tina sighed and looked up at Quinn, guilty brown eyes meeting the devastated hazel. She reached over and grabbed her hand. "Not much. Just that she was hurting and she didn't know where else to go." She bit her lip and tightened her hold on Quinn's hand. "That you didn't want her anymore."

Quinn closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the brick building. It was her fault. She drove Rachel to this. She let go of Tina's hand and ran her hands through her hair. She stood up slowly and shoved her hands into her jacket pockets.

"I have to go," she mumbled to Tina, who simply nodded from her spot on the floor. She gave the other girl one last look before turning on her heel and walking away, barely registering the 'I'm sorry, Quinn' that was shouted after her.

* * *

There was a knock and Karen turned from looking at one of Quinn's paintings that was on the wall and went to open the door. Tina stood there smiling, holding up a bottle of white Stella Rose dessert wine.

"Oh, yummy wine!" Karen squealed pulling Tina into the apartment and into a hug before closing the door. She grabbed the wine from Tina's hands. "Mitchell is working in the bedroom."

"Great," Tina said with a smile before frowning slightly when she noticed the absence of all the pictures from the walls. She took off her jacket, draped it over the back of one of the dining room chairs and walked towards the bedroom. She paused briefly in the doorway to stare at Quinn's unconscious body that was hooked up to the machines in front of Mitchell.

"Hey, Tina," the man greeted the other woman happily. Tina smiled at him and walked forward to give him a hug, still keeping an eye on Quinn. Karen bounced in brandishing the wine and a few wine glasses from Quinn's cupboard.

"Tina brought Stella Rose," she proclaimed, already in the process of popping off the cork.

"Awesome, you're already getting into the groove of erasing," Mitchell said jokingly as he grabbed a wine glass and handed one to Tina. Tina smiled and shrugged, holding out her glass so Karen could fill it up.

"I figured there would just be a lot of waiting, might as well make the most of it right?"

Mitchell and Karen nodded enthusiastically. Karen finished pouring wine into her glass and she held it up.

"A toast!"

The other two held theirs up as well.

"To a successful erasing.'

"To a successful erasing!"

They clinked their glasses together and, with another apologetic glance at Quinn, Tina took a sip of her wine.

****

* * *

**December 10, 2013**

"Listen, Q, maybe it's for the best."

Quinn closed her eyes and dropped her head to the table, trying to ignore Santana and everyone else that sat around her dining room table and on her couch. She just wanted to sleep and mope, but Santana refused to let her and instead invited herself, Brittany, Puck, Sam and Max over to her apartment.

"How is this for the best?" she mumbled.

Santana shrugged and looked at the others for help, but receiving none.

"Are you going to do the procedure?" Sam asked from the couch. Max and Santana pursed their lips and Quinn sighed, lifting her head off the table. She knew the two girls have already expressed their views on the process ("It's sketch, at best, Quinn." "Q, if you do this, I will actually consider murdering you.").

"I don't know," she whispered. She let her eyes drift over all of them. "Have any of you talked to her lately?"

Everyone shook their head.

"With her memory erased, she still thinks I'm going to slushy her every chance I get," Santana said, leaning back into her chair and crossing her arms. "Hell, she doesn't even remember Max."

Quinn looked at Max who looked down at her hands sadly. She had forgotten about that. Because Rachel had met Max through Quinn, she had also forgotten her. Which meant she forgot about her sisters and about the progression of her friendships with the people in this room. She stared up at the ceiling again to keep her tears at bay. She was so tired of crying.

"Are you guys going to her show tonight?" Quinn asked quietly. Everyone nodded ("Even though she doesn't remember me," mumbled Max).

"Are you?" Puck asked. Quinn shrugged.

"She's not supposed to see me," she whispered.

"Well," Puck smirked, "she doesn't need to know you're there."

Quinn looked up to respond, but found herself alone in her bedroom and the lack of light coming through the blinds told her it was night time. She glanced at the clock; Rachel's show started in just an hour. She stood up and walked over to her closet to find something to wear, when she heard it.

_Will you come to my show? It's the last one before they go break._

She closed her eyes as she remembered the conversation. It was one of the last ones they had.

_I wouldn't miss it for the world._

Quinn spun towards the bed where the voices seemed to be coming from, but found no one. She frowned and quickly got dressed.

The theatre was small, but it was packed and she found a seat all the way in the back, away from her friend and as far from the stage as possible. When the lights turned off, her heart began to race and when Rachel first came out on stage, it stopped completely. She was gorgeous up there, singing her heart out for people who paid to see her. Quinn cried the entire show and when it was over she needed to leave to get some air. Rachel was living her dream. She was happy.

Without her.

She waited across the street for her friends, still clutching the ticket in her hand. Puck and Sam came out first and they walked over to keep her company.

"Hey, Q, you look hot," Puck greeted, letting his eyes roam her body. Quinn rolled her eyes and smacked his arm. Sam gave her a hug and they began to discuss the show, when Quinn spotted her over Sam's shoulder.

Rachel had just walked out of the backstage door and was quickly followed by Todd, one of her cast mates and Quinn's fists began to shake. Rachel looked frustrated as she tried to walk away from the man, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. Puck and Sam turned to look behind them and Quinn noticed Puck straighten and clench his fist before he stomped over towards them. Sam placed a comforting arm around Quinn's shoulders as they watched.

"Hey, Rach!" Puck called out. Rachel turned towards him and, instantly, a relieved smile took over her face. Todd let go of her arm when she threw her arms around Puck's neck. Puck picked her up and spun her a couple of times before placing her gently back on the ground. He turned her face to Todd and scowled at him. The cast mate took a cautious step back, and after Puck said something to him, he turned around and walked hastily away. Rachel turned back to Puck, and Quinn could just make out the words 'thank you' before she engulfed him in another hug, a huge smile on her face.

It pained her. That was her girl. She supposed to go and protect her from that douche bag, but she couldn't. In Rachel Berry world, she doesn't exist anymore. She wiped at her eyes when she felt the tears begin to fall and gave Sam a watery smile when he pulled her into a side hug. She gave him a full hug and turned to walk away; throwing her ticket in the trashcan as she passed it.

In the blink of an eye, she was back in front of Lacuna, Inc.. She checked her watch, it was almost ten, she was sure they weren't open, but she didn't care. She walked in, thankful that the door was still unlocked. The waiting room was empty and Tina was behind the counter putting away some files.

"I'm sorry but we're cl-" she looked up and stopped. "Quinn."

Quinn didn't say anything. Still in her clothes from the show, she walked quickly down the hall towards Dr. Cohen's office with Tina chasing after her. She threw open the door and Cohen looked up at her surprised.

"I want it done," Quinn whispered, her eyes instantly tearing up. Tina stopped behind her, her mouth dropped open. Cohen nodded in understanding and beckoned Quinn to follow him.

"We won't be able to do it tonight; all of my technicians are out on other jobs. But we can get it started for tomorrow," he explained as he led her to an ordinary examination room.

"I – I don't have a lot of money," she told him quietly, blushing. Cohen gave her a smile.

"You and a lot of other people," he chuckled. "We'll go over some prices that are in your range, okay?"

Quinn nodded and they began with the typical doctor procedure of checking her heartbeat and her reflexes, among other things. All the while, Cohen was explaining the procedure to Quinn.

"It is painless; some people don't even realize an erasing is happening. It will be like a series of dreams and you will wake up as if you were in a deep sleep, which I guess is kind of true."

Quinn bit her lip. "Is this in any way…dangerous in the long run?"

Cohen rubbed his chin, but shook his head. "While this is all technically brain damage, it is perfectly safe when done correctly. And we haven't failed yet, nor have we had any cases where the subject has died or has fallen ill. You have nothing to worry about."

Quinn nodded, but she couldn't ignore the hesitant feeling in her stomach. After the examination, Cohen led Quinn to a small room where there was just a table, a tape recorder and two chairs. They sat down and Cohen opened up a folder and took out his pen.

"Okay," he pressed the record button and looked up at Quinn, "Please, state your name and the person you wish to erase."

The blonde cleared her throat nervously. "My name is Quinn Fabray and I'm here to erase Rachel Berry."

Cohen nodded and wrote down a couple of things. "Good. Now, why don't you tell me about Rachel."

Quinn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "When I first met Rachel, I knew right away that I loved her…"

* * *

Karen and Mitchell had switched places and Mitchell was sitting with Tina next to Quinn's body.

"So why did you want to come see this erasing out of all the other erasings?"

Tina bit her lip and looked up at the other two. "Just curious, I guess."

"Well this is an interesting case," said Karen as she concentrated on erasing a couple of memories. "One of our last jobs was actually this chick's girlfriend."

"Really?" Tina asked, feigning surprise. Mitchell nodded.

"Yeah," he said with a frown. "We had a few troubles with her, but it worked out smoothly. Still, it's pretty sad isn't it?"

"What is?"

"Finding out someone you loved wanted nothing more to do with you," Karen answered, with a frown of her own. She glanced at Quinn's body again and shook her head. "Poor thing."

Tina nodded sadly.

_I'm so sorry, Quinn._

****

* * *

**December 11, 2013**

_After your final tomorrow morning, we will begin the procedure. _

Quinn walked somberly into her home after getting her paycheck and finishing her final. She stopped in the middle on the living room and looked around.

_You must rid yourself of anything that is connected to Rachel Berry, or reminds you of her in any way._

She walked into the kitchen to grab her trash bag and started with the refrigerator. With a shaking hand she took down pictures of the two of them, Rachel's schedule, the little love notes she didn't have it in her to take down before and threw them all into the trash bag.

_Pictures, letters, journal entries…anything. _

She then went to the living room and took down all the pictures and a few paintings that were done for Rachel or were inspired by her. The stuffed frog on the couch, a book that Rachel left in her apartment. She walked into her room and paused in the doorway. She figured she could pack while she 'cleansed' her apartment. So as she got her clothes and everything together, she simultaneously bagged the pictures and paintings from the wall, clothes that reminded her of the brunette, that various art works that was of Rachel or for Rachel. Every little thing that could remind her of the small diva, she needed to get rid of and every object that she threw in those trash bags was another break to her heart.

She paused in the middle of everything and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Abigail's number and waited. The bubbly girl answered.

"Hey Quinn!"

"Hey, Abby," Quinn said quietly, unable to keep the smile off of her face from just her sister's voice. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure, what's up?"

Quinn sighed. She knew Abigail was just as torn up about her and Rachel's break up as she was; she was going to hate this. "I need you to go into my room and get rid of everything that is related to Rachel."

There was silence on the other end.

"Quinn," came the unnaturally pained voice that instantly brought more tears to Quinn's eyes. "What's going on?"

Quinn rubbed her eyes dry and slowly continued packing and bagging. "I'm going to get my memory erased."

"Like Rachel?"

"Yeah," Quinn whispered. "Just like Rachel."

"So that you can be happy?"

Quinn chuckled bitterly. "Something like that."

Abigail sighed. "I'll do it on one condition."

"What?"

"I get to keep everything."

Quinn smiled; at least someone still cared about them. "Sure, hun."

"Okay. I'll do it."

"Thanks, Abby," Quinn whispered as she looked around her room. "I owe you."

"Yeah. You kind of do."

"Remind me. I love you."

"I love you too, Quinn," whispered Abigail. "I hope this helps you."

"Me too, Abby."

They hung up with quiet goodbyes.

With her room stripped and the majority of her bags packed, she grabbed the trash bags and dragged them to the bathroom. She walked to the shower and got rid of Rachel wash cloth and her towels. She went over to the medicine cabinet, opened it up and froze. Her toothbrush was still there, right next to Quinn. Like it always was. Like she was coming back. Her lip trembled and she grabbed the toothbrush. She held it up like it was the holy grail before she grinded her teeth and forcefully threw it into the trash bag. Infuriated, she grabbed the edge of the mirrored cabinet and slammed it shut, the forced of it cracking the mirror in the middle so that it spread to the outer edge like a spider web. She stared blankly at the broken glass, before turning on her heel and leaving the bathroom. She put on her shoes and left the apartment with just the trash bags that were filled with the memories of Rachel.

Again, before she knew it, she was back at Lacuna, Inc.. She walked in, greeted Tina and went directly to the back where Cohen and a woman were waiting for her. Dr. Cohen smiled at her.

"Hello, Quinn. This is Karen McDaniel," the brunette girl waved at her and was not deterred when Quinn simply nodded. "She will be one of your technicians tonight, along with her brother Mitchell. Two of my best."

Karen blushed at the compliment and stood up from the chair next to the desk.

"Hi Quinn," they shook hands. "If you'll follow me."

Karen led her to another examination room, but this one contained a chair that had a rather intimidating devise that seemed to be for her head. With a smile, the technician motion for Quinn to sit down, which she did, but hesitantly.

"This is to read your brain waves. We need to create a map for us to follow when we begin to erase," she explain as she pressed a button to lower the device over Quinn's head so that it nearly covered her eyes. Karen pulled the trash bags toward her and clapped her hands.

"Okay, I will be bringing out all of these objects and place them in front of you on this table. I ask for you not to speak, we get a better reading that way, but try to focus on the memory of the object. You got it?"

Quinn nodded weakly. "Yeah."

"Great!"

And for hours it seemed, Karen brought out object after object that personified Rachel and Quinn was reminded of all the happy, loving times she used to have. Love letters from Rachel. Pictures of Rachel. Rachel's song books. Presents given to her by Rachel. She couldn't help the tears that flowed as this continued, ignoring Karen's sympathetic looks. This was torture, pure torture. But she pushed Rachel away, so isn't this what she deserves?

Isn't this what she wanted?

* * *

**A/N: Okay. Confused? Sorry bout that. **

**For those confused about the last chapter: Yes, everyone knows the Rachel and Quinn have gotten their memories erased. But, as we saw in this chapter, they aren't supposed to mention their relationship to them. but if you read the last chapter again, maybe you'll find subtle hints to the relationship. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this. I love the reviews, they really make me want to write. Don't know when the next chapter is going to come up, but hopefully just as quick as this one. Also, it's about eight in the morning and I am running on no sleep. So while I did proof read this, I still apologize for any mistakes or sense of "rushedness." I just really wanted to get this out.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sleep deprived once again, sorry about that. Not sure how I feel about this chapter, but it's pretty much entirely Faberry. I must warn you, I'm actually not a fan of angst (there's enough sadness in the real world, I don't need to be putting one of my fictional OTPs through the ringer as well. But it gets you through life), so if it seems a little lack luster, that is why. This may just be the most confusing of chapters, but it's actually supposed to be this way. I'm sure the majority of you will still get it. But if you have any questions, seriously, feel free to ask them. Also this chapter is a little different, as in it doesn't give you exact dates. **

**The reviews and the favorites and the story alerts make me smile, so I thank you. **

**So. Read. Ponder. Enjoy. **

* * *

**November 2013**

Quinn sat on her couch with her head in her hands. It was officially a fact: without Rachel, that comforting presence in the night, she couldn't sleep. She'd lost track of the days that she had stayed awake, alone in _their_ bed, staring blankly at the ceiling wondering the same goddamn things over and over again. Where did she go wrong? Where did Rachel go wrong? Why couldn't they keep their promises to each other? Why did they juggle with their hearts, when they knew just how fragile they were? Why couldn't she let Rachel in? Why couldn't Rachel trust her? And the answers that she came up with did nothing to lull her to sleep.

God, the tears that she had cried; in her sleep deprived, angst filled mind, she briefly wondered if there was any liquid left in her body anymore.

It had only been a week after their break up and Rachel moving out. Within that week, Quinn hardly slept, ate, talked, or did anything that wasn't related to school or work. Her phone had remained untouched, only answering texts or phone calls from a select few. A _very_ select few. She'd taken to ignoring the knocks on her door, then ignoring the muffled threats that were shouted at her through the thick wood. They would leave, they always did eventually and Quinn hoped that they just figured she had kept herself at school. Not in this suffocating, four walled prison of painful memories that she had locked herself in.

_Quinn?_

Quinn's head snapped up and turned to her left where Rachel – _God, Rachel, I've missed you_ – was sitting next to her, her face filled with concern. Quinn reached up to touch her cheek and smiled at the feel of soft skin under her fingers, but Rachel looked as if she didn't feel a thing.

"Are you okay?"

The blonde snatched back her hand as if it were burned and she felt her face become emotionless and hard as she receded back into her shell. She looked away from the pained brown orbs in front of her in favor of staring at the wall opposite the couch.

This was the beginning, she remembered. Even though their relationship had always been filled with bickering and disagreements, which were usually playful and easily amended, this was the start of their downfall. It was subtle to the outside eye; Rachel and Quinn usually waited until they were alone to settle any differences that disrupted their once smooth way of living. But now disputes weren't settled and concerns, mainly from Rachel, were waved away or met with tension filled silence that spilled into the view of the public. They hardly even went out together anymore. Quinn sometimes found herself biting her lip to keep from snapping at Rachel or saying something she'd regret. Yes, she wanted Rachel to leave her alone, but she never wanted to insult her. Or yell at her. Or hurt her. In the end, she did every single one of those.

"I'm fine," she winced as she answered with a lifeless mumble. She could see the pain flash briefly across Rachel's features before she got up and walked to their bedroom, closing the door behind her.

This _hurt_. Even now, as she watched the memory of Rachel walk away from her, she felt those burning stirrings of shame in her chest. She wasn't fine; she knew perfectly well that she wasn't. She had built her walls up so high in such a short amount of time; Rachel never got the chance to find the tools that would enable her to penetrate them. She shut her out and never gave the tiny diva any reasoning behind her sudden distance.

_It is for her protection, as well as yours. _It was a mantra that played over and over in her head, told to her by a voice that was hauntingly familiar. Her own voice. The no-bullshit voice that she used before her return to Ohio three and a half years ago. And while she, on occasion, wanted to beat the living hell out of her past self, she couldn't help but listen to her. _You can't let her get too close. You'll break her heart. You always end up breaking their hearts. _

Quinn closed her eyes and shook the voice from her head. She was wrong about Rachel. She knew that now.

She stood up from the couch and walked over to the bedroom, cracking the door open and peeking inside. She stared at herself and Rachel as they lied in bed, sleeping on opposite sides, not tangled up together like they used to be. Even with both parties blissfully unaware, the air around them was thick with tension. This was how they spent their last nights together, those insufferable weeks where they didn't touch and Quinn became an expert at ignoring the urges. If she touched her, then she would give in. _And you can't give in, _said the No Bullshit voice and it echoed around the room.

She walked over to Rachel's side of the bed and kneeled down beside her. She reached over to swipe her bangs out of her face and leaving her hand on her cheek as if to spite the voice, taking the time to study the features that she so dearly missed.

"You're beautiful, Rach," she whispered, though she knew she wouldn't be heard.

Feuding voices caught her attention and she turned her head to look at the door leading to their living room. She glanced back at Rachel to make sure she had not been disturbed, only to find an empty bed. The voices were getting louder and she rushed to the door, though she already knew what was being said.

_Rachel, why can't you just leave me alone!_

She opened the door and walked cautiously towards the kitchen. She and Rachel stood on opposite sides of the room, staring each other down. Rachel, Quinn painfully realized, had a look of desperation on her face.

"Quinn, why won't you talk to me?"

Quinn walked forward as she watched herself become frustrated, her grip on the counter becoming deadly. "There's nothing to talk about. I'm _fine_."

"That's not true," Rachel whispered, her eyes watering. The Other Quinn looked away, but the hint of regret that flashed quickly across her face did not go unnoticed by Quinn. "There's something wrong. I know there is. Why won't you just tell me?"

A clanging of forks caught Quinn's attention this time and she turned her head to the dining room where they sat eating dinner in the silence that spoke volumes. Quinn walked over to stand behind herself and she watched as Rachel snuck longing glances at her. She looked down at herself as she pushed the food around her plate and she had the sudden urge to just reach down and wrap her fingers around her own neck.

"You're breaking her heart anyways," Quinn whispered to herself and was surprised when the Other Quinn responded back to her.

"I don't mean to."

It was weird, talking to herself, but she sat down in the chair between the two girls anyways. She glanced back at Rachel, who seemed to not have noticed her presence at all. The diva reached up and swiped her finger under her eye before standing up and leaving the table with her dishes in her hand. Quinn scowled at herself.

"You're an idiot."

The Other Quinn laughed bitterly. "So are you."

The blonde opened her mouth to retort–

_Mitch…hey, Mitch…_

She spun her head around and looked around her living room, searching for the source of the voice. Her brows furrowed when she found her apartment empty except for Rachel and the copy of herself.

"Mitch?"

* * *

"Are you sure you plugged everything in correctly?"

Mitchell turned away from his conversation with Tina to look over at his sister who was squinting at the map of Quinn's brain. He stood up and walked over to take a look. Tina followed him, suddenly worried about her friend's safety.

"Yeah I'm pretty sure. Why? What's wrong?" He asked, taking a close look at the screen.

"I'm not erasing them as cleanly as I want to. They're starting to blend," Karen replied, pressing a few keys on the keyboard. There was a cluster of green dots that she was working on, but they seemed to be merging with one another. "Can you check the wires?"

"Is this a bad thing?" Tina asked carefully as Mitch ducked under the table.

Karen shook her head. "I wouldn't say bad, but it sure makes things harder. And I can't even imagine what Quinn must be experiencing right now."

* * *

Quinn stood up hastily from the table, the voices were so clear, but they came in broken sentences. They were familiar, she'd heard them before, she just couldn't place them right now. She needed to hear more.

Just then the door to her apartment opened and she turned to find Rachel and herself storm in, the door slamming shut behind them. Rachel looked frustrated, but it was nothing compared to the fury on her own face.

"What the _fuck_ was that?" The Other Quinn growled and Rachel spun around to face her with her hands on her hips.

"It was nothing, Quinn," she said, as if she'd been saying it for hours which, if Quinn remembered this day correctly, she probably had.

She had gotten off of work around the time Rachel had been let out of rehearsal and since the theatre wasn't far from her job, she agreed to meet the brunette so they could walk home together. Things had already started to break apart between them and the No Bullshit voice had taken over the job of her conscience, but she still _needed_ to be around the small diva. When she arrived at the theatre and saw _him _touching Rachel with that stupid flirtatious grin on his face, she had been filled with such rage that she could feel the tinglings of as she watched the memory unfold in front of her.

"That is such bullshit, Rach," she had raised her voice as she threw her keys on the dining room table where another Quinn was still playing with her food, ignoring the new arrivals completely. "He was all over you – "

"Oh, don't be so ridiculous –"

"And you were just fucking letting him touch you, with a _smile _on your face."

Rachel ran a frustrated hand through her hair. "You are letting your illogical jealousy cloud your judgment."

"Rachel, he obviously wants to get into your pants!"

He did, that much was true. Quinn remembered the Dickhead quite clearly.

"Even if Todd did, Quinn," Rachel said, her eyes beginning to blaze with anger, "I will never accept his advances. If you aren't aware, which seems to be the case now and days, _we_ are in a loving relationship. One that _I _cherish with all my heart."

Those words sparked an angry fire in the Other Quinn, but caused sadness to flood in the Quinn that was watching it all. It was like a stab in the gut with a red hot blade, those implications that she had stopped caring, which wasn't true. She still cared. Even after Rachel had erased her from her memory, she still cared.

The opening of the bedroom door cut into their increasingly heated discussion and another copy of themselves walked out of the bedroom. Quinn was in front, putting on her coat as Rachel followed her in her pajamas that showed too much skin for the current weather.

"You have to meet her now? It's almost ten."

The Other Quinn rolled her eyes and turned to face Rachel as she buttoned up her jacket.

"She just got off of work," she said, "We have to do this project, Rachel. It's due in two days and we're only a little more than half way done."

Rachel bit her lip and leaned against the doorjamb of their bedroom. The Other Other Quinn (she was starting to get a throbbing headache) looked up at the brunette and sighed.

"What, Rach?"

Rachel looked to the floor. "I just don't trust her."

"God, how many times do I have to tell you this?" she exclaimed, exasperated. "She has a boyfriend."

"So did I before we got together," Rachel whispered under her breath, but both Quinns caught it. Quinn almost reached out to her copy to placate her, but knew it wouldn't stop her.

"Rachel, I am _not_ cheating on you."

"I never said you were."

"No, you were just implying it," the Other Other Quinn said walking towards the door, sidestepping another Rachel who was walking back to the dining room table.

"Just like your implications of Todd, I guess," Rachel sneered behind her back. Quinn turned around, angry.

"There's a difference."

"Which is?"

"Christina would never have any interest in me because she's straight. But _Todd_," she spat out his name like it was something rotten, "would have every intention of getting with you. Why can't you just trust me?"

Rachel's eyes flashed angrily, "Because you won't let me in! How am I supposed to trust you?"

_Mitchell, seriously, did you find the problem…_

Quinn grabbed her head and closed her eyes. She was starting to really hate this, there were too many voices going on at once. Another copy of themselves seemed to pop up out of nowhere in the living room and she just happened to have the misfortune of standing right in the middle of them.

"Quinn, why can't you just tell me what's wrong?" Rachel screeched at her and behind her she could practically feel her glare going right through her.

"There's nothing wrong!" she shouted back.

_There's a faulty wire…hold on, I'm going to try and fix it…_

"We don't talk. We hardly touch anymore. You won't kiss me or hold my hand or even hug me," Rachel said, tears spilling from her eyes. Quinn walked towards her, wanting desperately to do all those things to her. "What is it? Did I do something wrong? Please, I'll – I'll fix anything, I promise."

She turned to look at her copy, whose face seemed to soften. "You're not doing anything wrong," she whispered and looked to the floor.

More voices were pouring into their apartment and versions of themselves were walking all around her having heated arguments, heart wrenching discussions or ignoring each other completely. Too many terrible memories at once. Quinn backed herself up in a corner as she observed the chaos around her, the dysfunctional circus of angry, crying, and tired Quinns and Rachels. Why did she listen to the No-Bullshit voice in the first place? Why couldn't she see how much pain she was putting Rachel in when there were about twenty proofs of it walking around her apartment at this very second? The arguments were starting to blend together, like angry radio static. She slid down to the floor and pulled her knees to her chest. She placed her face in her hands, trying desperately to block out the noise of everything around her.

"I don't like this," she whimpered, the tears falling freely. She was completely _disgusted _with herself. "Please make it stop. Please, please just erase all of this already."

* * *

"Mitch!" Karen shouted. Her brother stood up alarmed, hitting his head on the table.

"What?" He asked, rubbing his head.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, frustrated. "It's getting worse! Quinn has already been going through a shitty time; we don't need to make this process any harder for her."

Mitchell rolled his eyes and fixed his glasses. "I told you, I have to fix the wiring. It might mess up the system for a little bit, but if you'll shut up I can get it done."

"Fine. Just hurry up."

Tina turned her head to watch Quinn as her body seemed to twitch and what looked like a tear started to fall from her eye. She walked over and sat down on the bed by her head, reaching out to wipe the drop from her face. She then grabbed the blonde's hand, trying to somehow transfer some strength into the unconscious girl.

"There. Done."

* * *

_Finally, geez._

Quinn looked up at the sudden silence of her apartment. The copies of herself and Rachel had disappeared, leaving the apartment just the way it was. She carefully stood up, keeping an eye and ear out for any more opening doors or angry voices. Instead the only sound that could be heard was a faint sniffing coming from their bedroom. Hesitantly, she walked to their bedroom and with a shaking hand pushed open the door.

Sitting on the bed was Rachel, her hands folded neatly in her lap and a couple of bags packed near her feet. Quinn's heart dropped and shattered at the bottom of her stomach. She remembered this night well, she had dreamed about it on the days that she was able to catch any sleep. She took a couple of steps forward and Rachel looked up at her, her eyes red and puffy.

"Rach," she whispered like a reflex, "W-what's going on?"

The brunette sniffed again and wiped her eyes. She stood up on trembling legs, but held Quinn's gaze steadily. Her eyes let off a sense of finality.

"I'm moving out."

Quinn stood stock still, not comprehending even though the phrase echoed endlessly in her head. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but she couldn't find any words to say. She took a couple of steps closer, her body acting on its own accord.

"I – I don't understand." She could feel her eyes start to well with tears. Rachel looked away.

"I can't do this anymore, Quinn," she said quietly, her voice cracking as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

The artist bit her lip as the dams in her eyes broke. She couldn't say anything and the pain in her chest was becoming too much. What had she done? Rachel was looking at her like she was waiting for her to ask her to stay – _stay, baby, please don't leave me, please – _but the words were lost. She bent down and picked up her bags, slinging one over her shoulder.

"I'll be staying at Andrea's until I find another place," she explained, her voice robotic and her face now void of emotion. Her eyes though, her eyes were devastated. "I'll be back later to pick up the rest of my things and drop off my key."

They stared at each other for a short moment before Rachel walked around Quinn, making sure to avoid any contact with her, and left the bedroom. Quinn closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath. She had stayed where she was when this had happened, had let Rachel just leave her without a fight and had cried her heart out on the floor where she stood for hours after she heard the door close. She could feel her body settling to do just that, but she couldn't let Rachel get away. Not again. She turned on her heel and left the room after her just in time to see the diva walking out of the front door.

"Rachel! Wait, please!" she cried out and rushed forward. She flung the front door open and ran through it…only to find herself back in her apartment. On the dining room table was the extra apartment key and a note; Rachel had picked up the rest of her belongings while she was at work. She walked slowly forward and picked up the note. She knew what it said, but she opened it up anyways.

_I'm sorry. _Written in Rachel's neat handwriting.

_Oh, baby. _Quinn brought a shaking hand to her face as she cried; _you had nothing to apologize for. _

She dropped the piece of paper to the floor and made her way to the bedroom. She noticed that Rachel's "side" of the room was practically empty, as was her side of the closet, as was Quinn. She walked over to their bed and plopped down on Rachel's side, hugging the brunette's pillow to her body as she cried. It still smelled like her and even if it was a painful reminder, it still brought her a small comfort.

She'd never change this pillowcase.

* * *

"You seem really attached to this girl."

Tina turned her head from looking at Quinn to find Karen staring from over the top of her book. They had decided to put the process on autopilot so they could just lounge around. Mitchell was standing off to the side of the bedroom, admiring some of the works of art Quinn had on her dresser, sipping on more of the wine she had brought them.

She shook her head absently. "Just…highly interested."

Karen looked a little suspicious, but she shrugged it off as she returned to her book.

"Your uncle never offered to show you're an erasing before?" Mitchell asked as he held up an ink and ink wash drawing of Quinn's. Tina nodded her head.

"Of course he did," she answered quietly, "There just hasn't been a case as intriguing as this."

Mitch nodded his head in agreement. "Do you ever want to learn?"

"No," she answered without a moment's hesitation, causing the siblings to look over at her. "I don't think I would be able to do this on a regular basis."

Karen shrugged and licked her finger to turn the page of her book. "It's not for everyone."

* * *

When Quinn opened her eyes again she was in her room back in Lima. It was a little bit past midnight and she had taken a nap after Thanksgiving dinner in which she hardly ate anything and had to endure the concerns of her family members. Groaning, she rolled out of bed and left her room, mindful that her mother was probably asleep by now. She crept down the stairs and a faint orange glow caught her attention. She looked into the living room to find Abigail sitting in front of a roaring fire surrounded by Luck and Jinx. Amy was asleep next to her, her head in the cheerleader's lap. She walked softly towards them, trying not to disturb Abigail's unblinking concentration on the fire. When she sat down next to Jinx, Abigail smiled.

"Hey, Quinn," she whispered, her eyes glued to the flames, her left hand laced with Amy's while her right ran through the black tendrils. Quinn tried to keep her eyes away from them; seeing those two together, so happily in love even while one of them was asleep, was painful for her.

"Hey," she whispered.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, staring at the dancing flames. Luck had fallen asleep next Amy and Jinx was close behind them. Quinn ran a hand through her hair; as great as it was to be back in Lima with her sisters and her mother, it was one of the more miserable, thankless Thanksgivings that she'd had in a while.

"Why are you afraid, Quinn?"

The artist turned her head to look at Abigail, but the younger girl still hadn't taken her eyes off the fire.

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid of loving Rachel."

Quinn stared hard at Abigail. She felt like a children's book, as she always did around her sister. She bit her lip and didn't answer. Abigail seemed unfazed.

"Maybe it was the right thing to do," the cheerleader whispered and Quinn raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Really?"

Abby nodded her head, her face masked in deep concentration, the fire reflecting off of her sharp blue eyes.

"You tried too hard to protect Rachel. So worried about breaking her heart that you tripped over your own feet and dropped it. You kind of have the tendency to be like Dad," Quinn stiffened at the reference and a boiling anger ran through her veins. "Closed off, I mean. The seven hundred foot high, impenetrable fortress that you build around yourself while still trying to take care of the ones you love. You're better at it than he is, though."

"Thank God for small favors," Quinn mumbled and Abigail cracked a smile.

"You'll get over it. And when you do, you'll get back together with her and everything will be better."

"And if I don't?"

Abby's smile didn't falter. "You'll get over it."

Quinn huffed; she didn't believe her then and she sure as hell didn't believe her now.

"What do you think of that sunshine now?"

Abigail turned her head and finally locked eyes with her sister, the blue orbs sparkling. "It will shine forever, Quinn."

Quinn smiled sadly. "I really hope so."

She stood up and walked in front Abigail, whose eyes were glued to the fire once again, to place a kiss on her forehead ("Quinn! You're blocking my program!"). She headed for the front door, threw on a warm coat and walked out into the crisp November air.

In a matter of seconds she was at the park down the street from her house, where everything started. What she was doing there, she had no idea and she cursed her feet for taking her there without consulting with her. There were too many reminders of once happy moments.

A crunch of earth jarred her out of her thoughts and she knew who it was before she even turned around. Rachel stood behind her, her hands shoved nervously in her jacket pockets. Quinn let her eyes rake over the girl in front of her; it had only been a week, but _God_ did she miss the diva. The urge to touch her was as strong as ever, but the No-Bullshit voice and now Abby's were telling her to stay where she was, so she did. Rachel seemed only a little bit surprised to find her there; this was, after all, both of the girls get away spots. The brunette offered a sad smile.

"Hi."

Quinn returned it. "Hey you."

Rachel averted her eyes and Quinn could've sworn she saw her eyes well up. Quinn stepped closer, ignoring the angry yells of her conscience.

"How've you been?" It was a stupid question, but she'd do anything so they're not just standing there looking at each other. Rachel gave a humorless laugh and looked over the pond.

"Absolutely miserable," she answered quietly. A tear falling down her face. "You?"

"About the same."

The brunette dropped her eyes to the ground and she sighed, reaching up to wipe her face. Even in the dim light, even though Rachel looked as if she'd cried for days straight, Quinn though she looked beautiful. After a moment, Rachel lifted her eyes to Quinn's, those brown orbs overflowing with desperate sadness.

"What happened to us, Quinn?"

The question was like a kick to shattered ribs, even if she was expecting it. She looked away from those painful eyes and took a deep, calming breath. She wanted to lie and say she didn't know, but she couldn't. This, as it turned out, would be the last time she'd see the brunette. She owed her the truth.

"You deserve someone better, Rachel," she whispered and in her peripherals she could see the look of disbelief on the diva's face. "I'll only hurt you."

"How?"

"I just will."

Rachel shook her head. "I can't accept that."

"You have to," Quinn told her, the tears falling down and dropping to the ground. "I'll only hurt you in the end. I can't help it. You deserve someone so much better than me."

"There is no one better for me, Quinn," Rachel said angrily. "I love you, only you, forever _you._"

Quinn closed her eyes to block the image of an impassioned Rachel. Her hands were shaking, fighting the overwhelming urge to reach out for her and touch her, but she can't. She wouldn't let herself.

"Quinn, please let me in," Rachel whimpered. "We can fix us can't we?"

That question sounded so familiar and she remembered that she had asked Santana that same question. And the answer was painful.

She opened her eyes and stared unwaveringly into Rachel's. "I don't think so."

Rachel's face crumbled the second those words left her mouth and she couldn't help herself but to engulf her in a hug. Rachel immediately cried harder; this was the first contact either girl had had for nearly a month, but the passion still raged like never before. Her arms wrapped around the blonde's waist and held on tight, never wanting to let go. Quinn placed a kiss on top of her head, her tears falling into the brown hair.

"Oh please, Quinn," Rachel sobbed into her shoulder. "This isn't it, please. Please."

Quinn closed her eyes tight. "I'm so sorry, Rachel."

She felt Rachel pull away and then felt soft lips on hers, hard and desperate. She wove her fingers through her hair and returned the kiss with much more fire than she originally did because she knew now that this was going to be one of their lasts. Quinn felt the shift and if her memory was correct, they were back in Rachel's bedroom, clothing quickly being shed, mouths never leaving each other for more than a few seconds. It was a blur of touches and kisses and moans and skin and confessions of love as they fell back into her bed and into a rhythm that had long been perfected by the two. It was a memory that Quinn wanted to remember forever and forget right away. A sweet moment that both girls knew would end sour and rotten.

After everything, they laid together, entangled like they used to with Quinn hugging Rachel from behind. The feel of naked skin on naked skin brought a small smile to Quinn's lips before it was erased by the memory of what happened next. She placed her mouth next to Rachel's ear, knowing that she was just delaying the inevitable, but she had to tell her before she left this memory.

"Rachel," she whispered. "I love you. I will always love you. I was just…scared. Every time I get close to someone, hearts gets broken and I didn't want that to happen to you. So I pushed you away and broke your heart anyways and I'm sorry. I'm _so fucking _sorry."

The tears leaked out of her eyes and onto Rachel's cheek but she didn't move to wipe it away. She laced their fingers together and placed a kiss behind her ear.

"You're beautiful, okay? This had nothing to do with you. I'm sorry you ever thought that."

Rachel brought their hands up to her lips and kissed the back of her hand. Quinn could feel the added wetness and she knew that Rachel was crying as well.

"I love you so much, baby." She knew this wasn't how the memory was supposed to go; originally, she said nothing more than 'goodbye', but she couldn't help it this time. Rachel never said a word, but the squeeze to her hand told her she understood everything. With one last kiss to the back of her neck, Quinn began to extract herself from Rachel's body. She got dressed quietly, Rachel never turning over to look at her. She stood up and stared down at the shuddering form of Rachel Berry before moving quietly for her door.

"Will you come to my show?"

Quinn's hand froze over the door knob. Rachel's voice was quiet and like that of a scared child. She turned around to see Rachel staring up at her from her position on the bed, still under the covers. Her brown eyes shined in the moonlight with shedding tears.

"It's the last one before they go on break," she explained looking away shyly.

_I wouldn't miss it for the world._

Quinn smiled and walked over to Rachel, kneeling down so that they were eye level. She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"I saw it," she told her quietly. "You were magnificent."

Rachel actually smiled at her and leaned over to give her another kiss. They stared at each other for a moment, drinking in the view of each other before they parted ways forever. With one last kiss, Quinn stood up and walked towards the door like she was supposed to, leaving without a glance back.

She ended up back in her bedroom where she slid to the floor with her back against the door and she cried.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Alrighty. I feel an apology is in order. School started a month ago, but it's taken up so much of my time, I've hardly had the chance to work on this story. I think about it all the time though. I've also been on a reading frenzy, which is another reason I wanted to hurry up and finally finish this chapter so I can read and not feel guilty about leaving you all hanging. I **_**will **_**finish this story. I promise. Now that school has started, it will just take a while. But hang in there. Your reviews make me smile so keep them coming, because when I get stuck on a chapter or I feel discouraged, I seriously go back and re-read the comments. It helps, so I thank you. **

**I was really aiming for a pretty rushed feel, concerning the memories. So I hope I succeeded. The good shit is finally starting to happen. Or at least the part I've been sort of waiting to write about. Personally, I'm super excited.**

**Anyways, it's almost seven in the morning, and again I don't sleep, so I don't remember if I was going to tell you anything else. So go forth and read and ponder and enjoy.**

* * *

**October 2013**

When Quinn opened her eyes, the feeling of joy and comfort felt almost completely foreign to her. There was a warmth and a pressure across her midriff that was so familiar, but it had been such a long time since she's experienced the sensation that it was like a letter from an old friend. She looked down and couldn't help but smile at the small tan arm that held her captive. The blaring buzz from the alarm clock cut into the morning silence and she reached over to shut it off, hardly bothered by the bright six o'clock that glared back at her. The arm around her middle tightened and a pair of soft lips pressed against the back of her neck. The artist let out a sigh and laid her arm over Rachel's, intertwining their fingers.

"Good morning, baby," the sweet groggy voice whispered into her ear.

Quinn's smile grew and she turned around to face the tried, but grinning brunette. It was during the mornings, when the diva's face was void of any make-up, her hair was absolutely bedridden and her eyes that were usually so open and energetic were half-lidded and calm, that Quinn found Rachel to be at her most beautiful. She lifted her hand to caress her girlfriend's cheek and leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead.

"Good morning."

Rachel tucked her head under Quinn's chin, placed a feather light kiss on her collarbone and slipped her hand under her t-shirt to dance her fingers across the warm back. Quinn closed her eyes, the serene smile impossible to erase from her face as she felt their hearts beat together against their chests. It was a routine in the morning; spend their first hour or so together in bed before they needed to get up for school or work.

"I miss this."

She felt Rachel smile against her skin and nod. She lifted herself on her elbows to hover over Quinn, raking a hand through the slightly tangled blonde tresses.

"Me too," she whispered and placed a small kiss on her girlfriend's lips before rolling out of bed. Quinn pouted.

"Baby, come back," she scooted to the edge of the bed, reached over and tried to grab Rachel's waist, but the brunette stepped out of the way and smirked, slapping her hands away.

"No, no, no," she giggled as she slapped Quinn's hands again when she reached for her breasts, "you keep your hands to yourself. We will not be late today."

Quinn plopped back into the pillows and grinned. "It's not my fault you're completely insatiable."

Rachel chuckled. "It's not my fault you're absolutely irresistible."

"I know."

The diva rolled her eyes and grabbed the bottom of the comforter and yanked it off of Quinn's body.

"Fuck, it's cold, Rachel!" the blonde squealed and wrapped her arms around her body, a poor shield for the freezing morning weather.

"Yes, it is," Rachel said matter-of-factly and dropped the covers at the foot of the bed. "Now get up."

Quinn watched Rachel leave the bedroom, admiring her ass in the short shorts that she insisted on wearing regardless of the weather. That is, of course, if she wasn't sleeping in the nude. The artist threw a glance at the clock and her eyes widened to see that it now read seven-thirty. There was a small tinge of sadness (_Seven-thirty?_ _Already?_) but Quinn hardly paid it any mind as she rolled out of bed and dragged her feet to the bathroom. Rachel was already in the process of brushing her teeth and when she entered, she handed Quinn her toothbrush, all ready to go. The blonde smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, baby."

Rachel finished first and rinsed out her mouth, stepping behind Quinn so she could have more room to finish. The diva smirked at her through the mirror and Quinn felt her wrap her arms around her waist, pulling their bodies flush together. Her hand froze mid brush as she stared at her girlfriend's reflection, watching her place soft kisses on the back of her neck, never breaking eye contact. The brown eyes were dark and playful, her lips lifting into a smirk as she nipped at the soft skin, drawing a quiet moan from the blonde. Quinn quickly finished brushing her teeth and bent over to spit out the last of the foam and rinsed her mouth causing Rachel to giggle when her ass pressed into her crotch. She spit out the water, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and twisted around to face the amused brunette.

"You know, Quinn, it is imperative that you brush your teeth for at least –"

"Okay."

And with that, Quinn captured her lips in a passionate kiss, letting Rachel back her up so that she leaned against the sink. Their moans mingled as their tongues dueled and hands slipped under t-shirts to caress the scalding hot skin. Quinn pulled back with a gasp as small hands slid up to her breasts and thumbs ran teasingly over her nipples. She let her eyes drift shut and tilted her head back letting Rachel turn her attention back to her neck.

"Babe," she groaned and bit her lip when Rachel slipped her knee between her thighs. She shifted her leg as well and could feel Rachel moan against her throat. "Shit, Rach, we're gonna be late."

"We're just kissing," Rachel managed to mumble as she shifted her kisses back to her lips.

"Mmhmm," Quinn would've rolled her eyes if she wasn't so preoccupied with trying to control her urges. She moved her head back again to clear the lustful fog in her head, "but if we continue this, nothing you do or say will stop me from fucking you senseless right here on the bathroom floor."

Rachel moaned, her smirk growing. "Insatiable."

"You love it," the artist whispered, leaning forward to just barely brush their lips together.

"Damn straight."

As they shared a few more light kisses, Quinn couldn't wipe the goofy smile from her face. It had been so long, _too long_, since their relationship had been like this. Carefree. Sexual. Happy. She wanted to do this all morning. They didn't need to go to school, it's not like it will affect them now anyways. Hell, they didn't even have to leave the fucking bathroom; she just needed to have Rachel with her, in her arms. Much to Quinn's disappointment, Rachel began to pull out of the embrace.

"Okay, we seriously have to get ready."

Quinn frowned. "You suck."

Rachel winked and turned to leave the bathroom. "Remember to wash your hands."

Quinn rolled her eyes and turned around to turn on the faucet. Her hand froze over the nozzle and she stared at her fingers which were covered in a rainbow of paint. She looked up to where their mirrored medicine cabinet (once again undamaged) would be, but instead found nothing but a color splattered wall with a sign taped to it that said: "If Nemo could do make it to the ocean, anything can. Please do not put any paint down the drain." While signs like these were in every art class, just above the sinks, this particular one she knew was in her Advanced Oil Painting class.

After the ordeal, which she had taken to calling 'The Nightmare Circus of Many Frowns and Tears', it had become almost impossible to ignore a shift in memory. At first she hardly noticed it, now she couldn't help but and was constantly reminded of what she was in the process of doing. And even though she already figured out the control she had over the memories, her body seemed to go through the motions like a reflex and words flew from her mouth without her even having to contemplate them. She knows what to do because she's done it already. She could alter things, sure, but what use would that be other than relieve a little guilt or indulge in a bit more pleasure? This was the past that she was revisiting and _only _the past. Nothing she did now will change the present or affect the future in any way.

"Hey, Quinn?"

The artist was snapped out of her thoughts and she turned around to face the voice. It was her painting instructor; a woman who looked as if she was she could be Quinn's age, but probably in her early thirties, late twenties at the youngest. She wore rimless glasses over her grey eyes and her blond hair was always tied up so it was out of her face. She wore a black apron over her clothing that that was covered in so many colorful splatters of paint that it was a work of art in and of itself. Quinn was rather fond of Stephanie Colston; she had chosen her specifically as her instructor for her other oil painting classes as well as a couple of drawing classes because they got along so easily, like old friends as opposed to strictly professor and student. She learns better in a comfortable environment, which she was sure was true for most people.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to get a coffee. Mind watching the room?" Stephanie asked as she lifted the apron off and laid it over a stool that sat in front of her easel. She glanced at the clock. "It'll be quick. I should be back before my drawing students arrive."

Quinn nodded her head, "Sure, I'm still cleaning anyways."

Stephanie beamed, "Sweet. I'll be right back," and she dashed out of the room.

Quinn turned back to the faucet and began to wash her hands, trying to pinpoint exactly what happened on this day and in this specific location. Before she could even begin to decipher the memory, she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist. She smiled softly and leaned back into the embrace, catching a glimpse of long brown hair.

"What are you doing here?" The artist asked as she turned off the water and grabbed a couple of paper towels. A hand slipped slyly under her t-shirt and slid back and forward across taunt abs. "I thought you had class until four."

"Cancelled," Rachel mumbled and she placed feather light kisses on the nape of Quinn's neck, enjoying the quiver of her stomach muscles under hand. "I wanted to go to the theatre and warm up before rehearsal. So Kurt and I decided to come and visit."

"Kurt's here?"

"Mmhmm," Rachel hummed and turned Quinn around. Immediately, she captured her lips in a small, but passionate kiss and Quinn wrapped her arms around her neck. "We're here to take you out to a late lunch."

"Aw, thank you, baby!" Quinn beamed, placed another kiss on the plump lips before looking around the classroom. "Where is he?"

Rachel smiled and pulled the blonde over towards her easel to see her painting, "We ran into Max on the way over here, so I'm almost positive they are discussing the attractive qualities of random civilians as they – oh! Quinn, this is beautiful!"

Quinn giggled and began putting away her paints and brushes. "You always say that."

"And I mean it every single time."

The blonde blushed and kissed Rachel on the cheek. She carefully grabbed the still wet painting from the back of the canvas and placed it in her personal cubby in the back of the room to dry. She turned around to see her girlfriend propped up on the stool in front of her easel, a smirk on her lips, legs crossed, her eyes that of the 'come hither' variety.

"Baby," Quinn said warningly as she walked forward, "I know that look."

"What look?" Rachel asked, nothing but innocent.

"Oh, just _that_ look," Quinn moved to stand between Rachel's legs and threw her arms around her girlfriend's neck. She leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "You know I can't fuck you here."

Rachel moaned at the words, "I have no idea what you're talking about," and she wrapped her legs around Quinn's waist, pulling her closer.

"I'm sure," the artist purred, teasing Rachel as their lips barely brushed together.

"Do I need to get the hose?"

The two girls whipped their head around to the door where Stephanie smirked at them, a coffee cup in one hand, the other resting on her hip. Quinn blushed and mumbled an apology and she stepped away from her girlfriend, but Rachel just beamed and waved at the instructor.

"Hello, Stephanie."

"It's good to see you Rachel," Stephanie waved back and walked over to her own easel and grabbed her apron. "But if you're planning on ravishing Ms. Quinn here, might I suggest that you take it to the empty room across the hall. I need to prepare for my next class."

While Quinn felt her cheeks heat up, Rachel looked completely at ease. This, unfortunately, was not the first time Quinn's professor had stumbled upon them together. Though – _thank God – _they were never caught doing anything more than making out. Stephanie was used to it, Quinn knew. Rachel had attended many of the school's different gallery openings with her and visited the campus so often because the theatre was just a couple of blocks away that it gave Stephanie ample time to get comfortable with their constant presence. And while that meant they never really needed to watch themselves around the instructor, it also meant that she was apt to making fun of them whenever she could.

"What is your next class doing?" Rachel asked, never one to be easily embarrassed.

"Drawing naked people."

"Oh, I've always wanted to be a model for that," Rachel turned to Quinn and smiled. "We should model for her next class, Quinn."

"That's. . . no."

Stephanie smirked again. "While you guys certainly seemed ready to bare all just a second ago, I'm a little apprehensive about the activities that may occur if you two are naked together."

If it was even possible, Quinn blushed a little more, but was still able to roll her eyes at Stephanie. She grabbed her tool box of supplies in one hand and Rachel's hand in the other and pulled her towards the door. "As fun as that sounds, we must be going. Say bye to the mean lady, Rach."

The sound of Stephanie's laughter followed them out of the room and was coupled with Rachel's giggling.

"That was just as embarrassing the second time," Quinn mumbled under her breath. The three story building that they were in was the only one that was lined with lockers, installed specifically for the art majors, all of which had been painted on and "vandalized" by previous students. On Quinn's were the spray painted words "Just Like a Star Across My Sky", which Rachel felt was such a profound coincidence that she put her signature gold star sticker at the end of it. "Do you have rehearsal tonight?"

Rachel leaned against the neighboring locker. "Yes I do."

Quinn pouted as she put away her supplies, "How late?"

"Late enough that you should be asleep by the time I get home," Rachel smiled and leaned forward to kiss the pout away.

"I can't go to sleep if you're not there."

"That's sweet baby, but cliché lines will get you nowhere."

The artist rolled her eyes and playfully shoved Rachel's shoulder. "I'm serious. It's very uncomfortable," she grabbed Rachel's shirt and pulled her towards her, wrapping her arms around the shorter girl, "You put me at ease like no one ever has. I will toss and turn all night, but the moment you come home and you crawl into my arms, I'll fall right to sleep."

Rachel was smitten. She leaned forward and tucked her head under the blonde's chin, her hand coming up to twirl the hair that had escaped Quinn's messy bun.

"I can't sleep without you either," she whispered against the artist's skin, "We're only doing a few run-throughs. If Todd can get through it without any mistakes then I should be home at around midnight."

Quinn tightened her hold around Rachel possessively and almost growled. "He better keep his hands to himself." She felt Rachel smirk.

"Well he _does_ play my boyfriend. . ."

"He _still _better keep his hands to himself."

Rachel giggled and placed a kiss on the pale collarbone. "You're cute. But I think you've already successfully instilled the fear in him. When we are not doing a scene, he is somewhat of a gentleman and doesn't dare give me so much as a high five."

"Good," Quinn smiled proudly and closed her eyes as she swayed their bodies back and forward to a nameless tune floating in her head. In that moment, she couldn't believe that in a month she wouldn't be able to do this. She will have cried more tears than she ever had in her lifetime. Her heart would be nothing more than an apparition of the beating, lively organ it once was. Just one month.

The sound of footsteps broke them out of their reverie and, after a second of cursing all the things that have interrupted them today, Quinn turned her head to look behind her, Rachel peeking around her shoulder.

"Oh, gosh. Am I interrupting something?" Christina, a gorgeous red head in Quinn's Acrylic Painting class, stopped in her tracks and fiddled with the straps of her canvas bag nervously, "I can just call you if this is a bad time."

"No, it's fine," Quinn said, twisting her body around to face her friend, dropping her arm to settle around Rachel's waist. "We we're just talking. This is my girlfriend Rachel. Rachel, this is Christina."

Christina stepped forward to shake Rachel's hand, "It's great to finally put a face to the name," she smiled kindly, "It's nice to meet you."

Rachel smiled back. "You too."

Quinn tried to hide her smirk. She knew Rachel found Christina as a threat. An empty threat it was, but a threat all the same. Oh, how the tables have turned. "So, what's up?"

"I was trying to catch you before you left. I wanted to see if we were still on for dinner tonight to discuss that project."

"Of course," Quinn could feel Rachel tense beside her, but her face was masked with an air of nonchalance. "I'll give you a call."

"Great!" The red head smiled and began to walk away, "I'll see you tonight. Bye Quinn, bye Rachel."

They watched her leave the building and once she was out the door, Rachel turned to look at Quinn with raised eyebrows.

"So, you're going out to dinner with her tonight?"

Quinn chuckled, she couldn't help herself. "Jealous, much?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I merely question her motives. She's an extremely attractive woman who –"

"Who has a loving boyfriend and has been with him since they were freshmen in high school."

There was a brief silence. "Oh." Rachel pouted. "Okay, maybe I was a little jealous."

"You are," Quinn smirked and closed her locker before grabbing the diva's hand and leading her out of the art building, "but you're cute."

Kurt and Max were sitting on a bench right outside of the art department, both with coffee cups in their hands, legs crossed and sunglasses on to hide the movement of their eyes as they cruised the college men that walked by them. They mumbled their greetings when the couple stopped next to them, but their focus was mostly on the passing men.

"A seven," Kurt said, waving his hand dismissively at the student with semi-long brown hair, carrying a long board. Max turned her head to look at him, an eyebrow arched in disagreement.

"A seven?"

"At the highest. I'm feeling generous."

"You're crazy."

Quinn and Rachel shared exasperated looks as Kurt turned to Maxine, concerned. "I worry about your taste in men."

"Please," Max scoffed, "I've shown you my exes, and you found them all attractive, so don't even lie."

"Fine, they were rather yummy. However this specimen," he gestured to the retreating back, "looks as if he's majoring in pot smoking and surfing."

The blonde took a sip of her coffee, her head tilted as she analyzed the student. "An eight and a half. I'm a sucker for the slacker look. Plus, he had a cute face."

Kurt nodded, "Hence the seven. Hello, girls." They turned their heads to finally fully acknowledge Quinn and Rachel's arrival. "Are we ready now?" The girls nodded and Kurt stood up, grabbing Max's arm and pulling her with him. "You're coming with us."

"I am?"

"Yes," he began to lead the way towards a (vegan friendly) diner just off of campus, "I will need someone to talk to. Do you know what it's like being the third wheel with these girls?"

Max smirked and nodded. "It's a bit nauseating."

"Just a bit," Kurt said as they smiled teasingly at the girls behind them.

Rachel rolled her eyes and Quinn wrapped an arm around her waist.

"They're mean," she whispered into the diva's ear, "we should ditch them."

"We can't do that, Quinn, that's rude," Rachel scolded softly with a reluctant smile and kissed her on the cheek. "But maybe if we dramatize our relationship to the point where it's almost sickeningly sweet, they'll just decide to leave anyways."

Quinn smirked and leaned down to kiss the addicting lips. Before she opened her mouth to respond, a voice spoke up from behind her.

"So, does Rachel not like me?"

It happened in a fraction of a second. Quinn whipped her head around, her arm cutting through the space where Rachel was just standing, falling heavily to her side as her heart dropped to her stomach and stewed in the angry acid. The sky around them was now dark and they were standing right outside of a restaurant a few blocks away from the diner she was just heading to. Christina seemed a little startled when their eyes met. Quinn took a deep breath, her hand closing into a fist; the urge to punch the girl in front of her was frighteningly overwhelming. She wanted to be with Rachel. She could hear an echo of conversation, even chatter from the diner, but that was now a distant memory. A dead memory. And she desperately wanted to be there.

She took another deep breath and forced her hand to open up. Christina had good intentions. She was a sweet girl; she had the Brittany mentality of loving everybody, always wanting the best for everyone. This wasn't her fault.

"Why do you say that?"

The red-head bit her lip and shrugged. "It's a feeling, I guess. I just don't like getting in the way. We can stick to meeting in school if she's uncomfortable with us working together."

"It's okay, Chris," Quinn let a small smile grace her lips, "Rachel understands that you have a boyfriend and we are just two colleagues discussing a project. It's fine, I promise."

Christina let out a breath of relief and smiled, "That's good, because you guys are really cute together."

"Thank you," Quinn laughed and turned to walk into the restaurant, "how's Michael?"

Whether Michael was doing well or if he was dying (he wasn't), Quinn didn't get the chance to hear it. Her foot caught on nothing and, before she even registered that she was off balance, she began falling face first towards the floor. She put her hands up, a small squeak of surprise escaping her lips, and closed her eyes preparing for the painful impact. That never came either; instead a soft familiar surface broke her fall. The smell was what hit her first; Rachel's pillow was wrapped tightly in her arms and her scent was assaulting her nostrils with pleasurable hugs. She heard the front door open then close and she smiled a tired smile, her eyes still closed, but her ears alert. There were footsteps into the bedroom, a quiet ruffling and the unmistakable sound of a bra snapping open. A few seconds later, the pillow that was held captive was freed from her hold and replaced with a warm body. The artist could feel the bare legs against hers as they tangled and the arm around the smaller woman's waist tightened, bringing their bodies closer together. She opened an eye to peek at the clock over Rachel's head. One forty-five.

"It's late," she whispered into the head of brown hair.

Rachel verbalized nothing more than a very exhausted grunt. While Rachel could still maintain her energy at the end of most days (which was perfectly fantastic), when rehearsal ran late she could do nothing more than fall in bed and into Quinn's arms utterly tired. She grabbed the hand that was splayed on her stomach under the t-shirt she was wearing and laced their fingers together and bringing them against her chest, effectively pulling Quinn closer.

Quinn smiled and placed a soft kiss on the back of the shorter woman's neck. "I love you, Rachel."

Rachel turned partially on her back to look up at the blonde with tired squinted eyes and a smile on her lips. She reached up with her free hand to cup Quinn's cheek and pull her in for a soft kiss. She pulled back and grinned, her thumb tracing circles on the pale cheek. "I love you, too, baby," and she turned around again, pulling Quinn tighter against her.

Rachel would fall asleep immediately, but Quinn, despite how tired she really was, wouldn't fall asleep until much later. She'd lie in their bed, flushed against Rachel, and soak in the comfort of their personal bubble until her eyes could no longer stay open. Watching Rachel sleep was her favorite pastime. She chanced another glance at the alarm clock and the numbers went by like seconds. As she watched the memory literally tick away, an ache began to thud softly in her heart.

"Why don't you sleep?"

Quinn smiled and closed her eyes. "I do sleep."

"For a few hours," Rachel's voice had lost all tracings of exhaustion, "but most of the time you lay awake. Why?"

Quinn sighed, the smile falling from her lips as she opened her eyes to look back at the clock. Two fifty, two fifty-seven, three o'clock. "I don't want to miss anything," she whispered.

There was a beat, then Rachel turned around to face Quinn, blocking the three forty-five that was about to flash across the face of the clock from the blonde's view. A small frown adorned her face and she reached up to wipe away a tear Quinn didn't even feel escape her eye.

"But you're going to."

* * *

"Have you ever known anyone to have the procedure done?" Tina asked as she and Mitchell lounged on the couch in the living room with a glass of wine while Karen read and watched the machine in the bedroom. Mitch took a sip from his glass, shaking his head.

"Can't say that I have," he set the glass on the table and pushed his glasses up his nose, "Although you can never really tell who's had the procedure done or not. Not unless someone else tells you."

"I guess that's true," Tina mumbled and quickly glanced at the bedroom where Quinn was wired up to a machine that will forever alter her memory.

"There _is_ a huge flaw," Mitchell grinned, as if he was discussing a juicy piece of gossip and Tina suddenly found herself at the edge of her seat. "We humans have a problem with keeping our mouths shut. We can send out hundreds of cards each to everyone involved, but they're just a written warning. Someone will always let something slip, whether it is on purpose or accidental. And what then there's the person they are trying to erase. They remember everything and who's to say that they won't try and get back together with them? How can someone protect themselves when they have no idea what to look out for anymore?"

Tina was silent as she pondered over the idea. Would it have just been easier if Quinn just went after Rachel? It would've been her second chance, the perfect second chance.

"You know, I admire Quinn for doing what she's doing," Mitchell said quietly as he picked up his glass and Tina eyed him suspiciously, wondering if she had spoken out loud.

"Why?"

He glanced back at the bedroom before turning his brown eyes on Tina. "I'm sure Quinn isn't the first person to find out their ex had erased them from their memory, nor will she be the last. She is, however, one of the only ones who turned around and got the procedure as well." He sighed and took off his glasses. "I'm positive there are people out there who have taken advantage of a person who's had their memory erased. To be able to manipulate someone who wouldn't have the slightest idea that they were being manipulated is extremely tempting. You could have complete control over a relationship. But only a coward would do that and that's not love. Not in the slightest. It takes a lot of strength to do what Quinn is doing, even more to ignore such an easy road of forgiveness. I may not know what got that poor woman into this situation, but I do know that, even after all of this painful shit she's going through, she _loves_ that girl. Enough to just let her be. Enough to have to get rid of her own memories to numb the heartbreak. If that's not true love, I don't know what is, and it always sucks to have to be the one to break it up forever."

Tina took a long sip of her wine as her eyes drifted back to the bedroom. "That must be the hardest part of this job."

Mitchell smiled bitterly. "Fortunately, cases of true love are rare in this business. But when it happens," he frowned then, his eyes glazing over as he looked back at the bedroom as well, "I think it's heartbreaking for everyone."

* * *

"Ohh f-fuck, Quinn!"

It was a sight to behold. A naked Rachel above her, straddling her waist with her back slightly arched as Quinn's talented fingers pressed against _that spot _inside of her. The diva leaned forward and rested her forehead against Quinn's as the powerful orgasm shook her body. When the tremors subsided, Quinn gently removed her fingers, smirking at the low moan issued from Rachel.

"Fuck, I love you so much," Rachel panted, lifting her head to capture the blonde's lips in a passionate, albeit slightly sloppy kiss. It didn't last long; sex really did take your breath away. So when they pulled apart Rachel set her head on Quinn's chest, her hand placed delicately over her heart.

"I love you too, Rach," the blonde whispered, kissing her lightly on top of the head. She glanced around their room, noting with amusement that their Halloween costumes were strewn about the floor. It was a game between the two of them on this night; they went to a Juilliard party dressed in equally scanty clothes (Quinn as a cop, Rachel as a nurse. Very cliché, but _oh so sexy_) and spent their time trying to make the other crumble under the weight of their lustful desire. Who won was a complete mystery, but the outcome was goddamn satisfying for both of them. She turned her eyes back to the woman on top of her when Rachel giggled. "What's so funny?"

Instead of answering, the brunette grabbed Quinn's hand and brought it to her chest, right over her heart. "Do you feel that?"

Quinn could feel the calming beat under her palm, her own heart mirroring the movement in her chest. It was something that always fascinated her. "Our hearts."

Rachel nodded. "They beat together. Always together," she leaned over and placed a kiss on the skin, "I've never found someone who was so completely in sync with me, in the most intimate way possible."

"I haven't either," Quinn smiled, kissing the head of hair once more as her fingers danced lightly over Rachel's heart. It was true; she'd never found someone whose heart beat the same rhythm as hers, though she never just went around feeling people's hearts. But she had noticed it before, not even her mother or her sisters' hearts beat like hers. They were always a beat off, but with Rachel, even in the throes of passion, it was exactly the same. It was something special.

"You know what this mean, don't you?"

Quinn chuckled, "What does it mean, babe?"

At first Rachel was silent, which was a little odd because that didn't seem like what happened before. Quinn looked at the girl lying on her chest; her face was masked in concentration as she stared at her finger that was tracing a heart over the real thing. At last, Rachel turned her eyes up to the questioning hazel ones. "It means we belong together. Forever."

The artist stared into the chocolate orbs. This moment changed the atmosphere and Quinn suddenly found it to be too cold. She began to shiver. "What if you decide you don't want me forever?"

Rachel lifted herself onto her elbows to hover over Quinn, her warm, _very warm, _hand moving to tuck a strand of the blonde hair behind her ear. "I don't want anyone else," she whispered, her eyes boring into Quinn's, "You're the only one that I trust will never hurt me."

Quinn opened her mouth to respond, but found that she could not because the lump in her throat was far too large. The No-Bullshit voice was back, shouting in her head, and she realized why Rachel was acting so different in this memory. If she could pinpoint a moment in time when their relationship began to crumble, this was it. Such a simple sentence uttered from those beautiful lips sparked such ugly memories that tears began to well up in Quinn's eyes. _You'll hurt her. You'll hut yourself. You know you will. _She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Rachel, burying her face into the crook of the brunette's neck, soaking the skin with salty tears.

"Oh God, Rachel," she sobbed, "I'm so fucking sorry."

They stayed that way for only a minute. Then Rachel raked her fingers through the blonde hair, coaxing Quinn to look up and used her thumbs to gently wipe away the escaping tears. "It's alright, Quinn," she said quietly, a small smile on her lips. But the blonde just shook her head.

"I broke your trust," she said sniffling, her voice breaking under the emotional strain. She reached her hand up to caress the cheek above her, reveling in the fact that at least she could touch her now. "I broke everything."

Rachel still smiled, "I forgive you."

In the end, they were empty words, but they meant the world to Quinn and she almost found herself smiling. "You're just my imagination," she whispered.

"True," Rachel chuckled, placing a kiss on the damp cheek, "but you know me better than anyone else. I forgive you, and I would in a heartbeat."

Quinn gave her a watery smile and pulled her back down, kissing her softly on the lips, "Thank you."

Rachel beamed and kissed her again before tucking her head back under Quinn's chin.

"The hard part is over, Quinn," she whispered.

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed as she watched Rachel's finger continue drawing hearts on her chest. Other than the silly little quarrels the two girls occasionally got in, everything before November 2013 was relatively smooth sailing, so to speak. She never had to revisit those memories ever again, and so she just nodded.

"I guess so."

* * *

Mitchell stood up to refill his glass, already feeling the effects of the alcohol. He looked over his shoulder at Tina who stared out the window sadly.

"You're really taking this case pretty hard," he said quietly, taking his seat next to her. Tina shrugged, her eyes still glued to the outside world.

"Well like you said, cases of true love are heartbreaking for everyone."

"True. Wish you would've decided to visit on a day when it was just a regular I-made-a-mistake-so-please-erase-it case, huh?"

Tina cracked a tiny smile; Mitch was a sweet guy. She turned to look at him, "Just a little."

"Well there'll be hundreds, if you're still interested after this," he said with a comforting smile.

Tina just shrugged again and her eyes drifted back to the bedroom. She bit her lip briefly and shifted her eyes back to Mitchell. "Do you think it's possible for those that are actually in love to remember the other later?"

Mitchell frowned and shook his head, "Not completely. I'm sure if they were to meet again, or even if they were to see something that had some significance to their significant other, they would feel some sort of familiarity. Maybe something akin to déjà vu, but nothing more than that."

Tina nodded her head, that was a long shot and she knew it. "So you think they're doomed to forever losing their true love?"

"Well, they certainly can't fix themselves." At Tina's confused glance, he smiled. "There's a cupid in all of us, Tina. If those around them know that they belong together just as well as we know it, then they have the power to get them _back_ together. I just hope people are smart enough to realize that things like true love shouldn't be thrown away."

Tina nodded her head absently as she replayed the words in her head and, like a magnet; her eyes were drawn back to the bedroom. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

"Of course I am," Mitch grinned as he stood and walked back to the bedroom.

* * *

**September 2013**

Quinn eyed the array of alcohol on display as the loud bass echoed through the apartment. It was the end of the first week of school and celebration parties were raging all over New York. This year she and Rachel had decided to attend one of Quinn's classmate's two story apartment complex party, which was filled with students and friends from all of the native schools, drifting in and out of apartments, drunk as all hell. Drinking games of all variety, such as Beer Pong and Flipcup, plus a great handful of games she's never even heard of but still looked fun as hell like Chaos, Chandeliers and Fuck the Dealer were being played in almost every apartment. The courtyard in the middle of all the units was reserved for more Beer Pong and a dance floor covered with gyrating people and being moved by a DJ who stuck to House remixes of mainstream songs.

The blonde bit her lip as she surveyed the "Mix Your Own Drink" recipes someone had taped to the wall above the selection before deciding to just fix two red cups of Vodka and cranberry juice. She took a sip of one cup, nodded her head in approval and began to squeeze her way out of the apartment to where Rachel was waiting for her outside.

"Quiiiiiiinn!"

She turned around to see the guy who had invited them stumbling through people to get to her. Vince had been in a few of her art classes and worked with her in the school art gallery where they spent their time drawing each other as cartoons doing such silly things. His black shaggy hair was slightly damp with sweat and his cheeks were rather flushed, but he gave her a radiant smile as he wrapped her in a tight hug. She giggled as she tried to keep the drinks in her hand from spilling and hugged him back as best as she could.

"Hello, Vince," she smiled as she pulled away from his embrace.

"Quinn! You made it!"

The artist laughed, "Yes, I made it. Though I've been here for a couple of hours and I'm sure we've taken about two shots together already."

"Oh yes, yes, I remember now," Vince slurred as he hooked his arm with hers and began to lead her outside, "with your beautiful girlfriend and very attractive friends."

Quinn smiled, shaking her head. When they stepped outside and she spotted Rachel leaning against the railing, her grin fell from her face completely. Todd was there with her, standing far too close to her girlfriend with that stupid smirk on his face and she could see just how uncomfortable the brunette was. When he reached up to cup her cheek, which Rachel immediately slapped away, Quinn handed the two cups in her hand to Vince who seemed to have forgotten his buzz in favor of staring daggers at the other boy.

"Hold those for me."

"Go get him tiger."

She stalked her way over to them, her fist already clinched and shaking. Rachel pushed Todd away when he stepped closer and leaned towards her face, meeting Quinn's eyes over his shoulder. The desperation, helplessness and slight fright in the diva's eyes sparked another explosion of anger and she grabbed his arm and yanked him roughly away from her.

"What the fu–"

Quinn pushed him against the railing, the deadly glare effectively shutting his mouth. He was taller than her, but the hazel eyes held a deadly promise he wished not to see fulfilled.

"Who are you?" he asked, straightening up. His breath smelled of tequila and beer.

"I'm Quinn Fabray, Rachel's _girlfriend_," she practically growled at him.

"Oh," he tried to say it with indifference, but it was falling on deaf ears. "Well, I'm –"

"I don't give a fuck who you are," she whispered dangerously and she took a step closer to him, smirking internally when he leaned against the railing to put space between them, "let's just get something straight here; you will keep your hands _off_ of her. You will _never_ force yourself on her or I will make sure you fucking regret it. Do you understand?"

Todd just smirked, leaning forward to get in Quinn's face. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't."

"Well, then let me spell it out for you," she reached into her pocket and pulled out the Zippo lighter Max had asked her to hold onto at the beginning of the night. She held it to his crotch and flicked it open, her, "If I _ever _catch you touching her again then maybe, just maybe, my thumb might _slip_…"

At the sound of the metallic click, Todd looked down and his eyes widened at the sight of the opened lighter and Quinn's thumb pressing down on the igniter. She smirked, brought her thumb down, and the fire licked at the apex of his jeans. He yelped and jumped away, stumbling slightly in his haste. He opened his mouth angrily, but her glare closed his mouth again. He gave a half hearted scoff and held up his hands. "Whatever."

He glanced one last time at Rachel, who looked infuriated with him, and then to Quinn as she stepped in front of the brunette, blocking his view almost completely. He shook his head in frustration and turned towards Vince's apartment.

"Whoa there, buddy," Vince intercepted him, a cold look on his face as he shoved him back with his shoulder, "and just who the fuck are you here for?"

Todd scowled as he stumbled again. "I'm Patrick's friend."

"Yeah, well, Patrick's apartment is downstairs. I suggest you go there."

Todd narrowed his eyes as if he wanted to challenge him, but even though Vince was drunk, he was taller with a better build and looked as if he wanted to throw him over the railing and onto the dance floor below. So he sucked his teeth and walked away, throwing one last glare and Quinn and Rachel.

Vince's eyes followed him down the stairs, then turned to the two girls with a beaming, drunken smile and handed them their cups. "Ladies! Your drinks."

"Thank you, Vincent," Rachel smiled at him as they took the cups, "And I'm sorry you had to deal with Todd. He can be so insufferable sometimes."

"Oh, it's not a problem," he slurred, throwing his arm around the both of them, "It's all in a day's work."

Rachel giggled. "You're a sweet man."

"Indeed I am," he gave a charming grin and gave them both squeezes before letting them go, stepping back towards his apartment. "Now I must be getting back, Chandeliers waits for no man. You tell me if he bothers you again and I'll make sure he's thrown out on his ass."

Rachel smiled at him as she wrapped her arm around Quinn's waist, "I don't think that'll be necessary. I have Quinn to protect me."

The blonde smirked. "You got the right, baby," and she leaned down to kiss her temple.

"Aw, Quinn, you big stud," Vince giggled when Quinn just rolled her eyes playfully, "Be sure to find me before you leave. Have a good night, lovely ladies."

They waved bye to the drunken man, before turning to each other. Quinn wrapped her arms around Rachel's shoulders and pulled her into her body.

"You alright?"

Rachel laid her head on the blonde's shoulder, "I'm fine, just a little frustrated. While Todd loves to toe the boundaries between us, today the alcohol caused him to step over it completely."

Quinn stiffened and grimaced. "Please tell me that's not the same Todd that is in your play."

Rachel grinned and winked. "You know I love it when you're protective, baby. So I demand that you accompany me to every rehearsal and come to every show to keep an eye on him."

Quinn chuckled, gave her a kiss and turned them around to look down on the dance floor, "You know I would."

"I know. Because you're my bitch."

Quinn reached down and gave a light smack to Rachel's ass, causing her to giggle. But other than that, she didn't do anything else; she _was _Rachel's bitch. She settled her hand back on the diva's hip and took a sip from her cup as she scanned the dance floor. Kurt, Tina and Mike were standing over to the edge, cheering on a couple of closely dancing girls. "Is that Max and Brittany?"

Rachel's grin widened, "Yes it is. They're very sexy."

Quinn nodded her head. They were grinding perfectly in sync with one another and turning more heads than just Quinn and Rachel's. "Where's Santana?"

"Enjoying the show," Rachel chuckled and nodded at Santana who was below them, smirking in their direction. The singer lifted her cup as a wave to the Latina.

Santana pushed herself off of the poll she was leaning against and walked over to the stairs. On her way, she bumped Todd as he was taking a drink, causing him to spill some of its contents down the front of his shirt. Quinn snickered while Rachel rolled her eyes and when Santana appeared at the top of the stairs, they saw that she was laughing quietly to herself.

"Bitches! How're ya?" The ex-cheerleader greeted and stood next to them, leaning over the railing to continue watching her girlfriend dance with another girl. "You know, blondie, it always makes me smile to see your badass side come out of hibernation every once and a while. It warms my heart."

"You don't have a heart, Santana," Quinn mumbled as she took another sip from her cup.

"Well, whatever that thing is that's thumping around in my chest, it feels so much better when I see acts of evil. So I thank you," the ex-cheerleader clinked her red cup with Quinn's before taking a gulp.

"Sure thing," said Quinn dryly, but she couldn't help the smile crossing her face. She nodded down at the dance floor. "You don't care that Brittany and Max are practically dry humping each other?"

"Hell no," Santana smirked. "I think it's fucking hot. You sure that girl's straight, Q?"

"I'd say she's straight like one of those flexible rulers that you can bend and twist," Quinn answered, in which Rachel nodded.

"So you think she'd agree to a threesome?"

"Santana!"

Quinn calmly shook her head, "Probably not. I think she just appreciates the female form."

The Latina shrugged, "Oh well."

"You would just go up to Maxine and offer her a threesome?" Rachel asked with a mix of incredulity and awe.

"Isn't that what I just said?"

The diva rolled her eyes, "I just find it odd that you'd punch someone in the face for even glancing at Brittany the wrong way, yet when you see another girl provocatively dancing with her in view of everyone, you offer her sexual relations."

"It just adds a little bit more spice to our fire. Are you telling me you wouldn't?" Santana took her eyes off the dancing pair to look at the one next to her, "I find it hard to believe that this one here can satisfy you that much without a little extra hand."

"Hey."

"I'll have you know, Santana, that Quinn is a fantastic –"

"Yeah, save it, Midget. I don't need to know how Barbie is in bed, thank you," the Latina grinned at Quinn's hard glare. "Oh, and what are you going to do? Set my balls on fire?"

"Don't tempt me."

Quinn turned her attention back to the dance floor as Santana and Rachel continued their (mostly playful) banter. The music seemed to fizzle out in some places and her eyebrows furrowed as people began to disappear. At first only one, and then a few, then more until soon they were popping out of sight like bubbles. She watched as Brittany and Max both looked up at her before winking out of sight with the rest of her friends and through the soft static that now blanketed the party, she could hear the faint calling of her name. The memory was crumbling and Quinn gripped the railing as her heart began to race.

Everything came to a screeching halt when something hit her head. She looked down at the balled up piece of paper and then to her left to see Vince smiling at her.

"Finally, I've been calling your name for like five minutes."

Quinn looked around her; she was in the art gallery, sitting at the front desk with Vince. Her heart calmed and the sense of boredom was already coursing its way through her veins, but there was a stronger sense of longing. Rachel was nowhere to be seen. "Yeah, sorry about that. What were you asking?"

The man chuckled, "What are you doing tonight?

The blonde shrugged, a smile tugging on her lips. "Rachel and I were just going to stay in and relax."

"Like a couple of old women, huh?"

Quinn laughed. "Something like that."

Just then, Rachel and Kurt walked into the gallery and the feeling of longing began to immediately dissipate. She beamed at the two of them as they stopped in front of desk.

"Hi, baby," the diva leaned of the counter to give Quinn a kiss. She turned and gave Vince a merry wave. "And hello, Vincent. You remember our friend Kurt?"

Vince smiled and nodded. "How could I forget?"

Kurt blushed only slightly and held out his hand, "it's nice to see you again."

"And you." The two shook hands, holding on a little longer. Rachel and Quinn smirked at each other.

"Kurt's going to escort us home, Quinn."

"Sounds great," she turned back to Kurt, "Did that douche behave himself at the theatre?"

Kurt finally turned his attention to the two girls, the blush a tad more prominent. "Yes, he kept a very safe distant every time the director yelled cut."

"Good," Quinn smirked, proud of her exceptional ability to intimidate most people. She stood up and gathered her things before walking around the front desk to meet Kurt and Rachel. "You ready to go?"

Rachel smiled and wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist, "Waiting on you."

Quinn bumped her playfully with her hip and waved goodbye to Vince. "See you, Vince."

"Bye Ladies. Kurt." The men smiled at each other one last time before the three ex-Glee members turned to leave the gallery.

"Oh my God, Kurt," Quinn teased once there were down the hall from the gallery, "Was there a spark between you and Vince back there or was there a spark between you and Vince back there?"

"If there was I might just bow down to your feet."

Rachel squealed, "You guys would be so cute together!" This caused Kurt to just blush more as they pushed the doors open to exit the building.

The noise was what hit Quinn first. There was a constant clang of utensils on plates and overlapping chatter. Then through the sudden dimness of the atmosphere she began to see that they had arrived in a crowded restaurant. Quinn looked around as she and Rachel walked to table where the now New York kids from Lima plus Max and Vince all sat, already with their drinks and in the middle of several different conversations.

"Finally," Santana drawled, being the first one to notice them, "You rabbits decided to stop fucking and join the real world."

Brittany squealed and bounced in her seat. She turned to face the two girls as they sat next to her and beamed. "You never told me you were part bunny!"

Quinn just chuckled and laid her arm over the back of Rachel's chair, letting her girlfriend explain things to Brittany this time. She took that time to glance at everything around her; Max, Tina and Mike were discussing a few dance shows they've all seen while Kurt and Vince seemed to be in their own little world. She smiled briefly at them before frowning.

The sudden silence behind her was absolutely deafening and she turned in her chair to find the dining area completely empty. She twisted back to face her friends to see that she was the only one left. She looked to Rachel's empty chair, her arm still perched on top of the backrest. She dropped her hand to the seat cushion and tears instantly sprang to her eyes when she discovered it was cold.

Another sound pulled her from the memory, this time that of a closing door. She snapped her head in that direction, taking notice of their apartment living room where she laid on the couch reading and the jingle of keys that indicated that Rachel was home. The tears seemed to dry as she smiled at the appearance of her girlfriend.

"Hey you," Rachel greeted and walked over to the couch. She grabbed the book that was lying on Quinn's chest and placed it on the ground, making sure to mark the blonde's place, and replacing it with her body. She cuddled into the warmth, getting comfortable. Quinn wrapped her arms around the diva's waist, leaning up to receive the kiss Rachel had waiting for her.

"Hey you," she whispered and let Rachel tuck her head under her chin. "How was your group meeting for Shakespeare?"

Rachel hummed contentedly, "It went smoothly. But now I'm home; we can finally just lounge around together." The brunette smiled and twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger.

Quinn smiled. Yes, that was what she wanted. That was the only thing she wanted. Just to spend time with Rachel, preferably in her arms. She closed her eyes, kissed the top of the head that was resting on her chest and sighed. "I would love that."

Another door slamming closed caught her attention and the weight that was lifted off her chest was transferred painfully into her heart. She opened her eyes, praying to see Rachel there but was disappointed to see only the ceiling above her. She sat up and looked toward the bedroom to see Rachel buttoning up her coat.

"You ready?" she asked, walking over to the still transitioning blonde. She grabbed her hand and pulled her up, lacing their fingers together in the process.

Quinn struggled to smile and just barely succeeded. "Yeah, let's go."

Rachel beamed and led them to the front door. They walked out and immediately found themselves at a park a couple of blocks from their apartment. They liked to come here and visit, usually while that sun is going down but not exactly setting; it reminded them of the park back in Lima by their houses. There was still a pond and lots of trees, but the memories just weren't there. They walked through the trees and stopped at a large oak that overlooked the pond and the large body of grass where there were still people lounging around or playing with their dogs or throwing a Frisbee. Quinn leaned her back against the large trunk and Rachel leaned against her, taking the blonde's arms and securing them around her waist. Quinn finally cracked a real smile and rested the side of her head against Rachel's as they people watched, all the while keeping an eye out for the indications that the memory was being erased. After a while, Rachel turned her head to just stare at Quinn. Quinn looked back, tracing the beautiful features as she had done so many times before. Rachel smiled almost bashfully and leaned forward to place a small, slow kiss on Quinn's lips. When she pulled away, it wasn't far and she reached a hand up to caress the blonde's cheek.

"I love you."

Quinn cherished the spontaneity in which Rachel would profess her love and leaned in to kiss her again. She felt the tears begin to trail down her face from beneath her closed eyelids, but she didn't care. Rachel was there, in her arms and, for that one short moment, that was all that mattered.

"I love you too," she whispered and when she opened her eyes she nearly sobbed. Her arms were empty, as was the park in front of her. She brought a shaking hand to her mouth to contain the outburst of cries. This couldn't keep happening. She wanted desperately for these memories to last forever, but they wouldn't. It didn't matter how hard she tried to hold onto it, the memory just continued to slip. The hard part wasn't over, she realized.

God, no. Far from it.

"Come on, Quinn."

Quinn's eyes widened and she looked behind the tree to see Rachel walking away, stepping behind a tree as she made her way to the exit of the park. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest as panic began the shoot through her veins like jagged ice. Rachel can't leave. She can't lose Rachel, not again.

"Rachel, no!" she shouted after her and ran towards the tree she disappeared behind, "Wait! Please, don't leave!"

She got to the tree and Rachel was gone. She turned around on the spot, trying to spot anything – a whip of brown hair or her scarf as she rounded another tree – that would show her where Rachel was. She couldn't be gone, no, not yet. _Please._

"Rachel!" She shouted, listening to her voice echo. She continued to shout her name until her throat began to feel sore and her legs ached from running through the park. She tripped over a root and collapsed against a tree, finally letting the sob tumble from her lips. She was making a mistake. A huge, horrible mistake. She wanted the time to stop. She would give her life to take it back, to keep Rachel securely in her head. She turned her head to the sky and whimpered, the pain in her heart much worse than that during their break up.

"I don't want this anymore," she whispered at first, wiping her tears from her face. Then she raised her voice to a shout, hoping beyond all hopeless hope that she would be heard. "I want to call it off! Please, stop this! Please, don't get rid of her!"

She waited, her eyes darting back and forward, her eyes straining to hear any sign, any indication that the procedure was stopping, but finding none. She sank to the earthy floor as her tears overcame her and no voice answered her calls. She brought her knees to her chest and her hands to her face and cried.

"I want to remember," she whispered brokenly to the empty air as the trees began to disappear behind her. "Please, God, please I just want to remember her."

* * *

**A/N: Chaos, Chandeliers and Fuck the Dealer are all legit drinking games that are played at my college. Or at least with my friends. I swear. They're really fun. **


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello all! Look at me, updating when the sun is still out and people are awake. I feel that that is an awesome accomplishment and I am patting myself on the back. This is a short(er) chapter, kind of a filler but not really. This is the B between point A and C, where the fun shit is going to happen. Thank you for your reviews, they make my day, especially when they're long and full of love. Has anyone watched the movie since I've started this story? If you have, it's fucking awesome isn't it? If you haven't, then that's good, it means you're still covered in the shroud of mystery. The story might be shorter than I anticipated actually, but still a decent length story. Definitely not **_**short.**_

**Anyways, I ramble. And if there was something else I was going to say, I completely forgot it. I hope you enjoy. Not all that attached to this chapter (again, filler but not really), but I still hope you enjoy it. This chapter is very different. August is the only month that is specified, but because of the circumstances in the chapter, the other months and days are unmentioned. Hopefully that all makes sense when you read the chapter. So go forth and ponder. Read and Review and Enjoy.**

* * *

**August 2013**

When Quinn entered the apartment, the memory was already beginning to fall apart. The decorations on the wall and the light fixture hanging from the ceiling above the dining room table shook in some unfelt earthquake. She watched as a framed photograph fell from its hook and it disappeared before it could shatter on the floor. The blonde's heart raced as her eyes scanned for Rachel and she took a few more steps into the apartment, fearing she was already too late.

"Rachel?" She yelled, checking the couch where Rachel usually took her naps, but finding only Mr. Hoppy sitting, smiling against the cushions. "Baby, are you here?"

"Quinn?"

Quinn turned towards their bedroom where the tired voice called from. She ran into the room, throwing the door open so hard, it bounced off the wall and she had to hold her hand out so it wouldn't hit her in the face. Rachel lifted herself onto her elbow as she squinted at the blonde from where she lay on _Quinn's _side of the bed, her face in an adorable pout. The artist smiled at the sight; the impending doom of the current memory forgotten momentarily in the wake of her beautiful girlfriend.

"Hey," she whispered and walked a few more steps into the bedroom, stopping next to the luggage they had yet to unpack.

Rachel gave a drowsy smile and wiped the sleep from her eyes, "Hey you. Why are you yelling?"

Quinn frowned as her panic started coming back and at the drop of the picture on the wall next to their bed (completely unnoticed by the diva), she sprinted forward, grabbed Rachel's arm, yanked her from the bed and began to drag her from the bedroom.

"Wha – Quinn Fabray!" Rachel scolded as she stumbled after the blonde, trying to pull her arm out of the death grip, "What are you _doing_? I'm exhausted!"

Quinn's hand only tightened. "I'm sorry Rach, really, I am, but we have to go," she rushed out as she pulled Rachel towards the front door.

"Let me get dressed at least," Rachel whined softly, making Quinn stop and turn around. The blonde's eyes raked over the _exquisite _body of her girlfriend, clad only in a white tank top – _sans bra _– and very short baby blue shorts. She shook her head, hiding a smirk, and pulled her along.

"No. You look fine."

* * *

Mitchell walked into the bedroom to find Karen next to Quinn on the bed. She lay on her stomach, her legs bent with her ankles crossed, her head propped up with the palm of her hand, and her book opened on the pillow. She put her finger on her place in the book and looked up at her brother.

"How's Tina?"

Mitchell furrowed his eyebrows and sat down on the other side of Quinn. "She's. . .odd."

Karen shrugged and went back to reading, "She's caring."

"Yes, very," then he smiled, "And secretive."

"Yes." His sister smirked, but didn't look up from her book. "Very."

Mitchell chuckled and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a pack of cards.

"Want to play Go Fish?"

* * *

Quinn finally stopped running when she came up to her house in Lima. She frowned and looked around, momentarily confused. Rachel panted next to her, finally able to yank her arm away.

"Wait – Where are we?"

"Quinn, I demand to know why you very rudely dragged me out of our apartment with nothing more than an 'I'm sorry, Rach' and make me run for what sure feels like miles with no shoes on and no break and no explanation," she paused to take a breath and looked around at her surroundings, "And we're in front of your house, of course."

Quinn rolled her eyes, "I know that. This isn't where I wanted to go."

"Quinn, what are you talk – _Oh my God!_"

Before Quinn could even turn around to see what caused her girlfriend to shriek, a water balloon hit her square in the face. When she blinked away the shock and water, she could hear gleeful laughter resounding above her. She looked up to see Abigail hanging out of her bedroom window, beaming and pointing at them.

"Ah ha! I gotchu, yeh scury dogs!"

"Abigail!" Rachel screeched up at her, shaking the hair out of her eyes. "What are you doing!"

The cheerleader giggled. "Your ship has been sunk, bitches! My water cannon is too strong for your face!" She ducked back into her bedroom. "Amy! Baby, I got them!"

Quinn laughed and looked over at Rachel, her eyes immediately drawn to her soaked, nearly see-through tank top. She gulped and opened her mouth the tell Rachel, but the sight was somehow rendering her speechless. Rachel rolled her eyes at the youngest Fabray and turned to Quinn. She studied her face for a moment, then followed her eyesight and blushed.

"Quinn!" She wrapped her arms around her chest, breaking Quinn out of her trance. "You should inform someone when their breasts are showing, not just stare like a pervert."

The blonde smirked and took off her blue cardigan. "I'm sorry, baby."

Rachel scowled. "You're not sorry. This is why you wouldn't let me get dressed."

"You're right. It was all part of my sinister plan to see your boobs," Quinn chuckled and handed Rachel the piece of clothing. Once Rachel had the cardigan on and her chest covered, the blonde grabbed her hand and began to pull her into the house. "Come on, we have to go."

"And just where, exactly, are we going?"

"Uh," Quinn furrowed her brow as she looked around. It wasn't her house anymore, it was Rachel's. Baby pictures of the brunette and her fathers adorned the walls along with posters and musical memorabilia. This wasn't where she wanted to go either, but trying to remember where she _needed_ to be was like trying to contain smoke in a butterfly net. "I can't – can't remember."

"Oh, hello girls."

Quinn and Rachel turned to see the diva's fathers smiling at them from the couch in front of the television. Rachel beamed and waved at the two men while Quinn continued to look around in concentration.

"Hi Dad, Daddy."

James, the one Rachel calls Daddy, smiled at his daughter, "Hey pumpkin. What are you two up to?"

"I'm not quite sure, Daddy," Rachel said, yanking on Quinn's hand, trying to get her attention.

"Oh, Quinn," David called over, the rerun of Oprah reflecting in his glasses. Quinn looked to the two men, completely distracted. "We had breakfast with your mother this morning."

"Yeah? How is she?" Quinn mumbled, her eyes still darting around.

"She's just lovely. We got to talking about your sister, Nora," he grinned and nodded his head, his eyes still glued to the television set. "She's back in town, yes?"

"Uh huh," Quinn answered as she stared intently up the stairs. There were noises up there.

"Well, you bring her over sometime, yeah?"

_Quinn, what are you doing? Stop that. . ._

"I don't think we've seen her since–"

With a quick mental apology to her girlfriend's (_imaginary_) fathers, Quinn trotted up the stairs, dragging a very confused Rachel behind her. The voices weren't getting louder, but they overlapped each other and it was hard to decipher exactly which conversation she needed to be following. Rachel, again, was trying to pull away from her grasp and her complaints were making it hard for Quinn to just _focus_.

"Quinn! How dare you just walk away from my Dad like that! He was _talking _to you!"

The blonde growled deep in her throat and stopped in the middle of the hallway at the top of the stairs. She spun around on her heel angrily, but her expression immediately softened at the frightened concern on Rachel's face. Her mind was racing and, while the voices weren't any louder, there were more of them coming from all around her. She needed to focus, but she was panicking and confused. It was hurting, and it was frustrating. She let go of Rachel and raked her fingers through her (dry) hair on the verge of tears. She shut her eyes, took deep, shuddering breaths and over the static of conversation she could hear her own gasps and whimpers. Focus, focus, _focus_.

Then small, soft hands grabbed hers, pulled them from her hair only to take their place as a warm body pressed up against her. There was an immediate sense of comfort and calm, and when a pair of lips covered hers, her body deflated as she smiled into the sweet kiss and encircled her arms around the skinny waist. The voices around her dimmed and disappeared until there were only a few faint conversations sounding from behind the closed doors in the hallway. When the kiss ended, Quinn opened her eyes to see the same concern on Rachel's face as she delicately wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Hi," she whispered in a way that only made the frown on Rachel's face deepen.

"Oh, Quinn," she snaked her arms around the blonde's neck, bringing her head down so her cheek rested against hers. She murmured words of comfort into Quinn's ear causing the artist's arms to tighten around her.

Quinn breathed in the scent of her girlfriend, strong and as fresh as ever, her nerves finally calming down. She shifted her eyes to the wall and watched solemnly as the pictures and posters began to vanish. Her arms tightened even more around the small body; she couldn't let them have her. She was hers. Forever hers.

"Quinn, please tell me what's wrong."

The blonde pulled away to stare into the dark brown eyes. She kept a firm hold on Rachel's waist with one arm as she brought the other one up to trace her fingers over the worried, beautiful face. Her thumbs smoothed out the furrow between Rachel's eyebrows, then trailed the tips of her fingers down soft cheeks to the frowning lips that, while sad, were still absolutely delectable.

The lips moved. "Quinn?"

_Quinn! Cut it out!_

The artist turned to look at the door to Rachel's bedroom only a few feet away. With a quick glance at the girl in her arms, she grabbed her hand and led her to her room. After a deep, calming breath Quinn pushed open the door, half dreading, half excited to see what memory lay behind it.

Rachel's bedroom was the same, the pictures and posters were there and completely still. The clock read eight thirty and the summer sun was shining brightly through the crack in the curtains. The scene before them immediately brought a small smile to both girls' lips.

"Quinn, stop this nonsense!" The Other Rachel squealed as she scrambled to the foot of the bed. The Other Quinn giggled and grabbed her ankle to keep her from getting away.

"Baby, come here," the blonde cooed, lightly trailed her fingernails up the outside of the brunettes thigh causing her to squirm.

"Ah! No – unhand me this instant!" The Other Rachel gasped out between laughter. She desperately grabbed the edge of the bed, but could pull her body no further as the Other Quinn crawled over her and weighed her down with her own body. The diva pouted up at her girlfriend, her struggles ceasing. "You're throwing off my morning routine. Exercise it essential to a healthy lifestyle and body which I _know _you love and adore, so if you would please allow me to get on my elliptical, I will be most grateful."

The Other Quinn only smirked. "But what about my exercise?"

"Go run."

The blonde arched an eyebrow. "You calling me fat?"

The Other Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes. She grabbed the pillow next to her and hit the grinning artist in the face with it. "You're stupid."

The Other Quinn laughed and yanked the pillow out of her girlfriend's grasp and threw it across the room. She then attacked the brunette's neck with playful bites and kisses, mumbling "_You're _stupid," against the soft skin as the Other Rachel's laughter echoed around the room.

Quinn took her eyes off the scene instead to study Rachel's face. In her peripherals she could see that the memory was beginning to erase, starting with the pictures of the two of them on the nightstand. Rachel still smiled, but her eyes were tremendously sad as more things began to vanish. She didn't want to watch the memory drift, but it was all reflected in the expressions on the diva's face. Her smile began to slip as the voices began to fade until it was a complete frown and total silence. She turned to look at the bedroom; everything was gone, save for the bed which was slowly disappearing as well. The silence in the room was absolutely gut wrenching.

Not wanting to be caught in the erasing process, she pulled Rachel away from the bedroom. The singer was silent beside her, but for now that was fine; it gave Quinn the time to really focus on her thoughts. She needed to stop this, but she couldn't remember much of what happened before this or, technically, after. It was a massive blur and she worried that her efforts were futile. Who the hell could she go to? Who did she go to in the first place? _Damn it, what was his name?_

With a quick glance down the empty hallway, Quinn led Rachel to the guest room directly across from her bedroom. She threw open the door and stormed inside, shutting the door behind her. They were back at her house, having apparently just walked through the front door. With Rachel's hand still clasped tightly in hers, she walked over to the archway of the living room. They were on the couch, cuddled and laughing as they talked with Judy and Nora. She smiled faintly; it was the picture of perfection. She remembered thinking so when this happened, and even now as she watched, her copy turned to look at the girl next to her with such love and happiness, it broke her heart. She turned around and hurried up the stairs where more overlapping voices could be heard. She stopped in front of her bedroom and pushed open the door, peeking inside. The breath caught in her throat.

The Other Rachel was naked on her bed, tastefully covered with the thin white sheet as she posed for the Other Quinn who was only wearing a t-shirt and panties as she skillfully drew the goddess before her. She hardly had to look up from her sketch; she had memorized Rachel's body long before this.

"Wow," Rachel whispered beside her.

That snapped Quinn out of her arousing shock and she dragged Rachel away from the scene and into Abigail's room, to find themselves in the park, _their _park.

"Fuck!" She cursed under her breath; this isn't where she wanted to go. She pulled Rachel past their own picnic date and hurried away, not quite sure where she was going. Just anything to not have to see their happiness disappear.

"Quinn – Quinn stop."

The blonde stopped by a park table and turned around to face Rachel, both girls breathing hard from the exertion. She tried to ignore the voices in her head –_don't stop don't stop they'll catch you keep running_ – and was only barely succeeding as she clenched her shaking hands into a fist. She can't get mad at Rachel. She needs to calm down and focus.

"What, Rachel?"

"I-I don't understand this," she stuttered, her eyes filled with tears. "What's going on?"

Quinn closed her eyes in frustration. "It's exactly what it looks like, Rach. They're erasing you," she trailed off in a whisper and shook her head. "I'm erasing you."

Rachel said nothing for a few moments. Then, in a soft, broken voice she asked, "Why?"

"Because you did it to me!" Quinn shouted suddenly, her eyes snapping open in a blaze of anger and Rachel jumped away from her, pulling her hand from her grasp. She instantly regretted it as the warmth left her fingers and the anger drained from her body. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest and she collapsed on the bench as she cried. This was getting her nowhere. She couldn't remember anymore. How was she going to save Rachel now? "Oh, god, Rachel," she whimpered.

Rachel dropped to her knees before her and pulled her into a heated kiss that instantly brought on more tears and she could feel the moisture from Rachel's on her cheek. She pulled away and let the brunette wipe the tears from her face like she did before. The diva sighed sadly.

"I'm sorry, Quinn."

Quinn just shook her head. It was her fault, all her fault. Rachel never did anything wrong. "You have no reason to apologize."

"I got rid of you first," Rachel challenged, tucking as strand of blond hair behind Quinn's ear. "I can't imagine how much that hurt."

Quinn gave a chuckle, completely void of any mirth. "It was hell."

Rachel frowned and wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck, bringing their bodies together as she lifted herself higher on her knees. Quinn wrapped her arms around her waist, closing her eyes as she breathed in the forever comforting scent of the brown hair. Because what else was there to do? Rachel shifted her head so her mouth was next to the blonde's ear.

"We – We can fix us," she whispered hopefully, "can't we?"

_I don't think so…_

Quinn snapped her eyes open and pulled away. She stared into Rachel's eyes as something clicked in the very back of her mind. She's heard that before. A new series of voices began to permeate the area; familiar conversations that were different that the familiarity of the voices before. Conversations that she's visited already. Her eyes widened and she shot up from the table, ignoring the confused look on Rachel's face as she dragged her towards the voices.

"We have to go."

* * *

The soft buzz of her cell phone brought Tina out of her daydream. She reached into her pocket to fish it out and glanced at the caller I.D. She nearly dropped the device when she read the name that flashed across the screen. Rachel was calling her.

"Shit, shit, _shit,_" she cursed under her breath. She threw a cautionary glance to the bedroom before standing up and hastily making her way to the kitchen. She answered the phone on what had to be the last ring. "Hello?"

There was a sniff. "Tina?"

Rachel's voice was blanketed in tears and Tina felt the role of concerned friend take over.

"Rachel?" she asked quietly, her mind running through a series of scenarios that would've caused Rachel to sound so broken. Almost all of those reasons ended with Quinn and she knew that _now _that couldn't be the case. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Did you – are you hurt?"

Another sniff. "Yes – I mean no – I don't know. I just," Rachel sighed, almost frustrated in her inability to be her usual verbose self. "I feel so foolish calling you like this, Tina," she gave a nervous, almost shy laugh, "I couldn't – I don't really have anyone else to go to."

She trailed off in a pathetic whisper and it caused a sharp guilty pain inside of Tina's chest. Rachel doesn't have anyone else to go to because she doesn't remember the people who would happily be there for her. She bit her lip and looked at the time; it was almost eleven and she had really no idea how long the procedure was going to take. "Do you need anything, Rachel?"

"I just," Rachel started sadly, before pausing and continuing again in the quietest of voices. "I just need a friend right now."

Tina tapped her fingers on the counter as her eyes drifted back, once again, to the bedroom. Was this what it was like for those that were in love before the procedure? Do they get these strong, painful feelings and have absolutely no idea what to do with them, where they come from, or really what they are? And for those that did the procedure. . .did they always feel so guilty? She'd have to ask Karen and Mitch.

"I can be at your apartment in twenty minutes. I'm only a few blocks away."

"Oh no, Tina, you don't have to come. I'm sure you're probably busy and I know I'm being a real inconvenience right now. In fact, I can just call you later, I'm – "

"Rachel," Tina interrupted with a soft chuckle, "I'm not doing anything right now, just some. . . extracurricular activity for work. It's fine, I promise. I'll see you in a little bit."

There was a small silence and then Rachel gave an almost inaudible sigh of relief. "Thank you, Tina."

Tina smiled. "Anytime, Rachel. Bye."

The diva gave a quiet goodbye and hung up the phone. Tina ran a hand through her hair and sighed as she slowly made her way to the bedroom. When she got to the door she paused and actually had to hold back a surge of laughter. Karen and Mitchell sat on either side of Quinn, each with a handful of cards. They were using the artist as their table where they placed their set of pairs on her stomach. It was a little disrespectful, in a way, but Tina couldn't help but find it so silly it was almost adorable. Mitchell had a small smirk on his face while Karen was staring at her cards with deep concentration.

"Do you have any 3's?"

The smirk on the man's face grew. "Go fish."

"Damn you," Karen mumbled and picked up another card. She looked up and spotted Tina by the door and smiled. "Hey Tina. Do you want to play Go Fish with us?"

"I would love to, but it looks like I have to get going," she said with an apologetic frown and held up her phone. "Mike just called. He wanted to go out to dinner since tomorrow will be spent packing."

The siblings smiled at her.

"That is so cute," Karen gushed and Mitchell nodded.

"It really is. Too bad you can't see the rest of the process, though not much else happens."

Tina smiled faintly and shrugged. "Maybe I'll come to a less. . .intense erasing next time."

"That's definitely the better choice," Karen chuckled and waved at her. "Have fun on your date. Tell Mike we said 'hey'."

"Will do. Thank you guys for letting me watch," Tina waved back and began to walk backwards out of the bedroom.

"Anytime, Tina," Mitchell called after her.

They said their byes and Tina walked quickly out of the apartment. She ran down the stairs, taking two at a time, and was out of the apartment complex in what had to be a new record. She stood out on the sidewalk and took a few deep, calming breaths, and watched as she exhaled a cloud of crystallized carbon dioxide. She began to walk at a much slower pace, but still at a speed that's faster than just a stroll, toward Kurt and Rachel's apartment. She reached into her coat pocket and grabbed her cell phone, dialing Mike's number. On the second ring, he picked up.

"Hey, babe," he greeted cheerily.

Tina smiled, "Hey. I'm heading over to Rachel's right now."

"Really?" Mike asked confused. "I thought you were going to watch Quinn get her memory erased."

Tina grimaced at the reminder as she crossed the street. "Yeah, I was. But Rachel called me crying and saying she needed a friend so I'm going to go over there and try to – I don't know. Try and cheer her up, or something."

"You should," the dancer agreed and Tina could hear the pleased smile in his voice. "She does need a friend. After everything that happened. Even if she doesn't know why."

"Yeah," Tina whispered and then cleared her throat. "I don't know when I'm going to be home."

"Oh, don't worry. Take your time, seriously. Brittany and I have one more class to teach and then I'll be home. I'll see you when you're finished."

"Thanks, babe," Tina smiled. "I love you."

Mike chuckled on the other end. "I love you, too. And you're a great friend. I'll see you when you get home."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

Tina hung up the phone with a soft smile that only lasted for a few seconds before she frowned. This was going to be a weird, long night.

* * *

Quinn finally stopped running and almost jumped around with joy when she found that they were back in New York at their apartment. She seemed to be on the right track because the windows had a ring of frost around them. Rachel looked around next to her, this time gripping Quinn's hand tightly. The blonde opened her mouth to ask her what was wrong when her own voice cut her off.

"Will you just _leave me alone_!"

Quinn turned around and her heart dropped when she saw the Other Quinn and Rachel facing off with each other in the middle of the living room. The Other Quinn was flushed with anger and Rachel looked frightened but stubbornly defiant as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What is your problem, Quinn? I'm just concerned!"

"Well _don't _be," the Other Quinn spat out and both diva's present, including Quinn, recoiled. "It's none of your business so could you, for once, stop being so fucking nosey."

Rachel whimpered next to her and Quinn gripped her hand and hurried her away. She didn't need to see this, didn't need to relive it like she had. She led them to the bedroom and was grateful that it was empty of the time being. She stopped and pulled Rachel into a tight hug and closed her eyes at the feeling of the shorter girl's shuddering form.

"I don't mean it, baby. I promise you, I don't mean it," she whispered into the brunette's ear and felt her nod against her shoulder. "I love you so much, okay? I'm so sorry."

Rachel sniffed and pulled away to look up into Quinn's remorseful eyes. She gave a small smile and shook her head. "I love you too, Quinn," she whispered, leaning back to rest her head back under Quinn's chin.

The blonde let a few tears escape her eyes and kissed her girlfriend on the top of the head grabbing her hand again. "Come on, we have to go."

She turned around and paused at the memory that had been playing behind their backs. The Other Rachel was fast asleep, curled up far on her side of the bed, cheeks shining with moisture, while the Other Quinn lay on her side, wide awake and watching over the sleeping girl with tears streaming down her pale face. Then she turned to look at the two girls standing by the foot of the bed.

"You cry in your sleep," the copy whispered to Rachel and the diva gasped quietly. "What do you dream about?"

Quinn turned to look at Rachel, but the diva didn't take her eyes off of the crying blond. She simply gripped Quinn's hand tighter. "You."

The copy glanced at Quinn before turning her attention back to the sleeping brunette. She reached out and wiped the tears from the Other Rachel's face. Then she laid her head on her pillow and softly grabbed the diva's hand, her eyes still tracing over her features. Quinn shook her head and pulled Rachel away from the scene and towards the bathroom where a soft murmuring could be heard. She hesitantly pushed open the door and found that they were in Maxine's apartment. Max was passing in front of the blonde's copy, looking absolutely furious.

"You _stupid _bitch," Max sneered at her. The Other Quinn didn't raise her eyes, but her fist clenched in her lap.

"Fuck you, Maxine," she whispered.

"No, fuck _you_, Quinn," the other girl stopped in front of her. "I thought you grew out of that heartless stage when you moved back to Ohio, but I guess not."

"You don't have the slightest idea of what happened between me and Rachel," the copy Quinn finally looked up, the anger swirling in too bright hazel eyes. Max only scoffed.

"Did _Rachel _have the slightest idea of what happened between you two? Because from my point of view, you just shoved her away until she tripped and fell and couldn't take it anymore."

The blond said nothing and dropped her eyes back into her lap. Maxine shook her head disgusted and walked away from her towards her kitchen.

"You just fucked up the _best _thing that ever happened to you, Quinn. That girl never did anything to you, but love you. You deserve a life of misery after what you did," she whispered harshly.

Rachel and Quinn stood and watched as tears fell silently from the Other Quinn's eyes. Quinn sniffed and whisked Rachel away towards the front door. Fuck, _she _didn't need to see this again. When she threw the door open, they were at Quinn's school where she and Kurt were sitting together on a bench.

"How is she?" her copy whispered brokenly. Kurt crossed her legs and looked at the blond with only a little bit of sympathy.

"When I took her in from Andrea's, she was a wreak and was a wreak until. . .," he trailed off and looked at the yellow card in Quinn's hand. He sighed and looked away, more sympathy blanketing his features. "She's happier now."

The Other Quinn sniffed and nodded. She twirled the card in her hands. "I was planning on asking her out again," she admitted quietly. Quinn heard Rachel gasp next to her. Kurt turned to look at her and frowned.

"Really?"

The copy Quinn just nodded. Kurt sighed and stood up from the bench.

"I have to go catch my flight, Quinn," he said quietly, almost regretfully and at the artist's nod, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry. I wish I could help."

The Other Quinn looked up at him, a ghost of a smile on her teary face. "Thanks Kurt."

Kurt smiled sadly and walked away with a small wave that the blond didn't return; she merely stared at her feet. Quinn walked cautiously forward and reached over to grab the yellow card from her hand. The Quinn copy glanced up to see who it was before letting go. She stood up and walked away, chancing a quick glance and regretful smile at Rachel. The brunette smiled back hesitantly before looking at the yellow message card over Quinn's shoulder. It was blank except for a small name in the top corner.

"Lacuna," Quinn whispered as she swiped her thumb over the wording. She tugged on Rachel's hand softly and began to lead her towards a new set of voices.

When she looked up, they were in front of the big brick building of Lacuna Inc.. The sky around them had darkened considerably and Quinn realized that this must have been after Rachel's last show. She pushed open the front door and led Rachel through the waiting room, ignoring Tina again, and down the hallway towards the door at the end. As she and Rachel peeked through the other doors they could see an array of memories playing from inside the rooms. One of the two of them at dinner, another of then hanging out with Puck, Santana, Brittney and Sam back in Lima, and more depicting the time during the summer and the end of their freshmen year. There seemed to be hundreds of doors leading to different memories and Quinn tried to ignore them while Rachel looked at every single one.

When she finally got to the last door she pushed it open and breathed a sigh of relief to see herself, still in the dress from Rachel's play, and Dr. Cohen sitting at the table with the tape recorder.

"Dr. Cohen," Quinn called urgently. Cohen turned to look at her as did the Other Quinn.

"Ah, Quinn!" he said cheerily and waved. "I see you're already in the middle of the procedure."

"Please, sir," she whispered hoarsely and took a step forward, letting go of Rachel's hand to stand in front of her. "You have to call this off."

Cohen frowned and glanced back at the Other Quinn. He shook his head. "I'm sorry Quinn, but there's nothing I can do."

Quinn shook her head, as tears fell from her eyes. "There is. There has to be."

The doctor shook his head again. "Even if there was something that could be done, how would I be able to do it? I'm just part of your imagination. I will be forgotten, as will Rachel." He looked pointedly over her shoulder.

Quinn furrowed her eyebrows and turned around. Rachel had disappeared and Quinn's eyes widened. She looked around the room frantically, but knew it was no use. She clenched her hand and happily let the anger take place of her despair. She turned back to Cohen. "Then tell me what I can do to keep her. Tell me and I'll do it."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Fabray," said Cohen, the sympathy there but it only made Quinn angrier. "You can't do anything."

Quinn wanted to jump forward and _rip _the apologetic look off of his face. She shook her head and began to back out of the room, her hands shaking with frustration and rage. "I'm not going to let you take her. This isn't fucking over," she whispered coldly.

She didn't stay to hear what Cohen had to say and stormed out of the room. Rachel was hers, and she'd find a way to keep her in her head. Even if it killed her.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: It's been a while and for that I apologize sincerely. School has tied me up and tortured me, so I haven't had much time. I'm also working on another story (Faberry woot woot) that won't be up for a while. Unfortunately, I have finals in two weeks so don't expect another update until after that. But I have not given up on this story. I will not give up on this story. It would be fucking awesome if I got more reviews, but that does not decide if I will continue this story or not. It only dictates how fast a chapter comes out (kidding . . . for that most part). I love every reviewer, favoriter, story alerter out there and I thank you. I was thinking (and it was suggested to me) that I can shorten the chapters and update more frequently. Not sure if that'll work, but it could be extremely beneficial. What do you guys think?**

**This chapter is . . . interesting. It took a while. I wish there was more fluff because that's so much easier to write about. But, alas, their lives are shitty in this universe. So bear with these poor souls. **

**I'm again working on no sleep and I can't remember what I was going to say. So read, ponder and enjoy. **

* * *

**April 2013**

Quinn was exhausted. She stretched out on their bed and closed her eyes as she just tired to relax. When she was relaxed she could focus.

There was a hole in the process. She was absolutely positive that, if she played her cards right, tomorrow morning she will have _some _remembrance of Rachel Berry. She just needs to learn the game first. There were rules. Very _complex _rules. Running around won't help her understand. She needed to clear her mind and calm the hell down. She let out a breath and relaxed the frantic thudding of her heart. Time seemed to have its own mind here, so she had no idea when Rachel would come popping up. What the hell even happened on this day?

_Oh. _The front door opened and closed, and excited, but quiet footsteps made their way to the bedroom. _Damn._

The blonde held her breath and feigned sleep as a shadow fell over her once quiet and calm environment. She bit her lip to contain the groan as Rachel climbed onto the bed and straddled her waist to hover over her. As the pair of soft, plump lips descended first on her lips, then to her jaw, then on her neck, she cracked open her eyes and her hands moved to Rachel's hips like a reflex. She could feel the smirk on the sensitive skin of her neck.

"Baby."

Quinn couldn't help, but smile as she linked her hands behind Rachel's back and pulled her impossibly closer to her body. "Hmm?"

"Guess what," the diva cooed as she lifted up slightly to look at Quinn's face, the hundred watt smile as bright as ever.

Quinn giggled, opening her eyes a little bit more. "What?"

"I got the part."

Quinn stared into the dancing chocolate orbs and remembered. This morning Rachel had gone to an audition for a new small play which, once they actually started performing in November, would blossom to Broadway potential. One audition and they gave her the part without a second thought.

_I'm proud of you, baby._

The words echoed around the room and she felt guilty for not opening her mouth to actually voice them. Rachel, however, didn't seem to notice the difference. She beamed and bounced in her excitement.

"Thank you, sweetie!" she squealed before frowning as the happiness cleared from her eyes to be replaced with sober curiosity. She nudged Quinn's side with her thigh. "Hey."

"Hmm?" Quinn hummed distractedly.

"What wrong?"

Quinn smiled softly as small tan hands snaked their way under her tank top and nails lightly scraped over the skin of her taunt stomach. "I'm just thinking."

Rachel smiled as her hands lifted up Quinn's shirt. "Are you getting any ideas?"

"Basically?" Rachel nodded and Quinn shrugged, "I just have to wake up before they erase you completely."

"Well," the brunette mumbled as she removed the shirt, "wake yourself up."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "If only it were that easy."

Rachel bit her lip and Quinn had only a second to notice the dangerous curiosity that flashed across her girlfriend's face before the diva sprang forward, grabbed Quinn's head and held open her eyelids with her thumbs and ring fingers.

"Rachel, what the fu – !"

* * *

Quinn's eyes popped open, revealing blank, dazed hazel orbs. Instantly, there was a heaviness in her temples but she couldn't move. The headache grew. _Who the hell – _

"Do you have any threes?"

A chuckle.

"Nope."

"Fuck!"

* * *

Quinn shook her head violently, throwing Rachel's hands off of her face. Her eyes focused on Rachel's questioning ones.

"Well?"

Quinn blinked as she tried to sort through her thoughts and sat up. Her head felt incredibly light and it was a welcome relief. "People are playing Go Fish on my stomach."

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head, "You're starting to worry me, baby."

The blonde rubbed at her eyes, "No, not right now – well, yes right now, but not right here right now," she rushed out. She closed her eyes at the jumbled words and sighed. "That didn't make sense."

"Not so much," Rachel giggled, "but it worked?"

"Yeah," Quinn answered absently and slapped Rachel's hands away when she made to grab her face again, "but it hurts."

Rachel frowned and gently ran her fingers over Quinn's forehead. "Oh, I'm sorry baby. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Quinn smiled. "It's okay," she whispered and lied back down on the bed. The brunette placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"So, what now?" she asked as she trailed her kisses down Quinn's neck to the naked valley of her breasts. The blonde closed her eyes, took a deep breath and began the process of focusing.

"Now. . . I just need to think."

Rachel hummed and moved her mouth to cover Quinn's left nipple, gently nipping on it and smirking at the gasp it elicited. She looked up to see Quinn glaring down at her with half lidded, lust filled eyes. She groaned and ran her fingers through the dark tresses.

"That's not helping me think."

Rachel smirked against Quinn's breast and released her nipple with a pop, letting her fingers continue the work.

"Baby," she cooed, nipping on the blonde's earlobe and trailed her down Quinn's stomach, "I just procured a main part in an amazing musical and I wish to celebrate my overwhelming success."

Quinn gasped when the diva entered her swiftly with two fingers. "_Ah!_"

"Do you really want to skip this?" she husked into her ear. "Do you want me to stop?"

Quinn shuddered and frantically shook her head, "Oh, God, please don't stop."

Rachel giggled and mumbled a smug, "I didn't think so," before replacing her mouth on her girlfriend's nipple.

* * *

Tina walked up to Kurt and Rachel's apartment complex and punched in the entry code at the front door. She decided to take the stairs to the third floor. She didn't know what to expect when she finally saw the diva, she needed time to mentally prepare herself for anything, She slowed her pace and stopped in front of apartment 14C.

She bit her lip and lightly pressed her ear to the door. When Tina couldn't hear anything she lightly knocked on the green wood and wringed her hands as she waited. The door opened a few seconds later and Tina was immediately wrapped in a suffocating hug by the short brunette.

"Rach," Tina whispered, startled, "Oh my God, are you okay?"

Rachel shook her head as she tried to gain control of her voice. She pulled Tina into her apartment and shut the door. Tina followed Rachel into the living room and watched her pace aimlessly around, almost lost.

"I don't know what's wrong," she finally whispered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I just feel so . . . empty."

Tina frowned and when Rachel plopped down on the couch, she walked over and collapsed next to her. "What do you mean?"

Rachel didn't answer right away. Instead she stared in front of her, her eyes thoughtful. She scrunched up her eyebrows and shook her head softly. "Have you ever left your apartment or your school or your place of work and felt like you may be forgetting something?"

Tina avoided eye contact. She stared hard at the carpet beneath her feet and cleared her throat, "Yeah, I have."

Rachel turned her head to look at her, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. "I feel like that all the time. Like I'm missing something and I have no idea what it is." She wiped her eyes, frustrated with her lack of resolve. "God, I'm so lost, Tina."

Tina wrapped an arm around Rachel shoulders and gave her a squeeze, trying to keep her own tears at bay. "I'm sorry, Rachel."

Rachel gave a sad chuckle and laid her head on Tina's shoulder. "It's not your fault I'm such a mess."

Tina swallowed down the immense guilt bubbling around in her throat, "You're not a mess."

Rachel turned her head to look at Tina with red eyes. She shook her head and wiped her eyes again, averting her gaze to the floor.

"I feel like I am."

Tina said nothing and only tightened her hold around Rachel. The diva gave a small, grateful smile before standing up, her hands twisting nervously.

"I think I want to go for a walk," she whispered, grabbing her coat from the back of the couch. "Would you like to join me?"

Tina just nodded.

* * *

"Okay, I think I got it."

Rachel looked up at Quinn, taking her eyes off of her own hand that was tracing stars over Quinn's heart. She snuggled closer to Quinn's naked body and closed her eyes, completely content.

"Hmm?"

Quinn smiled, a little smug, and sat up straighter. "I have the control."

Rachel smirked and nibbled on the side of Quinn's breast, "I love it when you're in control, baby."

"I'm being serious, you big nympho," Quinn laughed as she shoved Rachel's playfully in the shoulder.

Rachel giggled and nudged her back. "Okay. What do you have control of?"

Quinn sighed and decided it would be best to ease her into it. "I know what happens next. I remember it clearly. In a few minutes we will get up, get a little snack, you'll get an apple and I'll get an orange just to spite you, then we'll watch the travel channel until we fall asleep together on the couch."

"That's an impressive memory."

Quinn smiled and gave a 'thank you' kiss to Rachel's forehead. "And if I wanted to, I could think of another memory with you in it and be there instead. We can even go back to the ones that have already happened, but those are much harder to think of."

Rachel nodded and cuddled into her girlfriend's side, "Are you going to drag me around your thoughts again? Because I must inform you that I am quite comfortable right here in your arms and I'm not even sure my legs are able to function correctly right now. And I'm naked."

"Lazy ass," Quinn mumbled into the brunette's hair and placed a kiss on her head before sighing and closing her eyes. "But I might have to. I have to hide you and I can't do that when all of these memories have you in them."

Rachel propped herself up on her elbow and shook her head, "I don't follow."

Quinn bit her lip and looked to the comforter, grabbing Rachel's hand that lay next to her. Her idea had its flaws and she knew it. This was a big risk, she had absolutely no idea what would happen to her actual body once she fucked up Lacuna's routine. But as long as, by morning, she still had _some _idea of who Rachel was, then it didn't matter. She looked up, fleetingly amused by her own worry swirling in the deep brown orbs. "I'm not sure it'll work."

"Will it hurt you?"

"Ah," she shrugged, "No?"

Rachel kicked her leg and huffed. "Well, if you don't know, you can't do it."

"Rach –"

"No," Rachel said firmly, her grip on Quinn's hand tightening. "I won't allow you to endanger yourself. Your brain is being monitored and literally reorganized right now, you have no idea what will happen if you just start straying off track – "

Quinn cupped Rachel's cheek and pulled her into kiss. Just a small one, but she felt Rachel immediately start to relax. She knew that Rachel was just vocalizing her own fears, but it was something she didn't need to think about. She _needed _to do this. She needed to try. They broke the kiss and leaned their foreheads together, their eyes closed. Quinn softly caressed Rachel's cheek.

"Do you trust me?"

Rachel opened her mouth to answer only to close it again, looking at a loss for words. Quinn leaned away and dropped her hands to cover Rachel's. She knew that she didn't deserve Rachel's trust; she hardly had the right to even ask. If Quinn knew it then Rachel, especially _this _Rachel that was ultimately just a part of _her _imagination, had to know it as well.

"Rach," she whispered, willing her voice not to crack, "I know I'm probably that last person –"

"I trust you."

Quinn's eyes snapped up to her girlfriend's gentle, smiling face. It didn't make sense to her. But she supposed Rachel never really made much sense to her. And damn it if she didn't love her for that exact reason. Rachel leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on Quinn's lips, silencing whatever disagreement that she, of course, knew was about to come rolling off the blonde's tongue.

"Baby, trust _me_ when I say that I trust you with all my heart."

Quinn smiled and whispered, "Okay."

"Okay," the diva kissed her again, "now, tell me your plan."

Quinn ran her thumb over the back of Rachel's hand, "I'm going to take you somewhere else; a memory where you don't belong."

"And then we'll hide there until morning?"

The blonde nodded and brought Rachel's hand to her lips to press a gentle kiss to the tan knuckles. She lied back down on the bed, pulling the brunette's arm to drape over her stomach. She threw her own arm around Rachel and pulled her closer to her body. "I'm not entirely sure how this is going to work. I can hardly remember my life without you, so I'm just going to need you to bear with me."

Rachel snuggled into her side and placed her head on Quinn's shoulder. "What should I do?"

Quinn turned her head to stare into the worried but relenting brown eyes. She cracked a small smile, "Just lay there and be your pretty little self."

Rachel giggled and when Quinn closed her eyes, she did too.

Quinn took a deep breath and began to focus on her thoughts. She wasn't lying when she said that she could hardly remember her life before Rachel came into it. For three, almost four years, her entire life revolved around the petite brunette. Rachel's dreams, her fears, her needs and wants were always Quinn's first priority. Her life before Rachel entered it simply never mattered. But _now _it did and the only thing Quinn could think to do was take Rachel back to her life in California which was the last thing she _wanted _to do. Just the thought of taking the woman whose heart she was essentially trying to win over to the place where she was known as the cold, heartless bitch of a Head Cheerleader made her stomach turn. She just hoped Rachel would be able to forgive her after all of this.

Slowly she began to feel a shift, one that was much different than before. She blearily blinked an eye open, but the room around her was blurry and distorted. She closed her eyes and, in the depths of her mind, a whisper of a song echoed over her jumbled thoughts.

_I've been conniving, devising a plan, to say something brilliant to this girl. Test driving the words in my head, cause I'm gonna wreak if I don't. _

"_Cause when she talks suddenly my knees won't bend_," Quinn sang under her breath, her arm tightening around Rachel who was nodding along against her shoulder, "_like I'm stuck in quicksand. And it's because the gears that turn my head won't spin and she slips through my hands."_

_Again and – _

* * *

Tina tried to keep up with Rachel's quick, brisk walk, but was always a step or two behind her. She didn't know where they were going to end up, but she was getting increasingly more nervous as they got closer and closer to Quinn's apartment. A few times she had to bite her lip to keep from telling Rachel to go a different way, but this seemed to be what the small brunette needed so she let it be. Rachel _was _a mess; she looked like she hadn't slept for more than a few hours in a span of days, her eyes darted around her in some sort of confused paranoia and she constantly wrung her hands together like a nervous addict. Though Tina's eyes were trained completely on Rachel, she almost ran into her back when she abruptly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

Tina looked around them and noticed, with an aching heart, that they had stopped right outside the entrance to the park that Rachel and Quinn frequented often when they were together. She turned to the diva and observed how her brows were furrowed, her lip caught between her teeth and her eyes distant. It intrigued her almost as much as it completely worried her.

"Rach?"

Rachel snapped her head towards Tina and shook her head, trying to clear the thick fog in her brain. She gave an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, Tina. I just got . . . distracted, I guess."

Tina nodded slowly before glancing at the park, "Do you come here often?"

Rachel shook her head, "Once, but I stepped one foot in there and had to leave almost immediately."

"Why?"

"I felt like I was suffocating," Rachel whispered as she began to walk away, Tina trailing behind her, "My heart raced, my hands shook. I don't know what it was, but I cried until I got back to my apartment. I never came back."

Tina dropped her head guiltily and didn't raise her it until they stopped at a small twenty four hour coffee shop. Rachel wanted to get a green tea and because it was so late it only took them a few minutes. But as Rachel ordered, Tina watched her expressions as the guy behind the counter blatantly hit on her. The brunette gave him a pinched smile, but nothing more and it wasn't until they were half way down the block that Tina decided to bring something up that's been plaguing her mind since all of this business with her and Quinn started to peak.

"Are you dating, Rachel?"

Rachel glanced at her and blushed, ducking her head, "No."

"Why not?" Tina asked gently, not wanting to pry too much from the fragile girl.

"I'm not interested in anybody," Rachel answered quietly and took a sip of her steaming tea. "There have been people who have shown a romantic interest in me, but there's never that _spark_. There's _nothing._ Just the emptiness." Her voice trailed off to a broken whisper and Tina wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"You're not empty, Rachel," she comforted, "you just need to find the right person."

"That's the problem, Tina," came the tear strained voice, "I feel like I already lost the right person."

Tina stiffened and prayed that Rachel didn't notice, "Who?"

Rachel didn't answer right away, but laid her head on the other woman's shoulder. How the hell was she going to answer this question when it confused even her?

"I don't know what I'm talking about anymore, T. I don't know who I am. It's like I woke up one day and nothing made any sense. I was older, some milestones in my life are blurry or completely forgotten. And I woke up to an empty bed and I just . . . cried. I don't know why. It's not like that's never happened, I spend my whole life practically waking up to an empty bed. But on that day and almost every day since then, it's been getting increasingly more difficult to just get out of bed. It goes away; I'm able to put on a smile for Kurt and his boyfriend so that they're none the wiser. Now that they're gone for the holidays, I have no one to pretend for. Every morning is painful. It's always like someone's missing," she brought a hand up to wipe away the tears that continuously leaked from her eyes, "and they'll always be missing."

Tina took a shuddering breath and pushed back the tears that were threatening to seep out of her eyes. This broke her heart and the fact that she had a hand in Rachel's own confusing heartbreak nearly shattered hers completely. She closed her eyes and tightened her hold around Rachel's shoulders.

"It's ridiculous, I kn –"

"It's not ridiculous, Rachel," Tina whispered into the brown hair, "You'll find someone. I'll help you any way I can." Those words held so much weight.

Rachel smiled and wiped her tears again, "You're a very good friend, Tina."

Tina bit her lip and nodded her thanks, even if she didn't believe it herself.

* * *

**June 2010**

– _again and again. I love sleeping cause up in my dream, the two of us make a good pair. But then waking is a different thing cause I sort of live in a nightm – _

Quinn brought her hand down on her Ipod dock, shutting off her music. She groaned and turned onto her other side to cuddle into Rachel, but was only met with a cold mattress. She snapped her eyes open and sat up in bed looking hastily around her room.

"Holy shit," she whispered, "it worked."

She was in her old house in Santa Monica. The walls weren't covered in her paintings and drawing like her home in Ohio, instead they were draped with cheerleading rewards and pictures of her friends. She glanced at the clock and shot out of bed, quickly throwing on her red and black cheerleading outfit before running into her en suite bathroom to get ready. It was like something _clicked _in her brain and she acted on pure muscle memory and reflex. She glanced quickly at the calendar and felt a wave of relief that it was the last day of her sophomore year. She didn't need her cheer bag or her school supplies; she only needed to go to school because she was the Head Cheerleader. The details of what happened on this day escaped her for the moment, but she was sure that'd come back to her as the day progress, _if _it progressed. She walked out of her bedroom as she tied her hair into a high ponytail and paused outside of Abigail's room. She placed an ear to the door and smiled at her little sister's voice.

"Now, Harry, this is the day of change. We've 'graduated', finally, so now I'm officially a high school student. It is a time for absolute celebration."

Quinn chuckled and knocked on the door. She could hear excited footsteps coming towards her and when the door was thrown open, she was instantly met with an arm full of a pajama clad Abigail Fabray.

"Good morning, Quinn!" she squealed and pulled away. Quinn ran her eyes over her sister's face; it seemed younger, her hair was longer and she was a few inches shorter than her present height, which was around Quinn's.

"Morning, Abby," she greeted softly, "what are you doing today?"

"I'm celebrating my freedom, of course," the younger girl giggled before skipping back to her bed where her stuffed lion, which could've been a teddy bear if not for the mane of hair, sat on her comforter. Abigail's room was much like her room in Ohio; this is where Quinn's art work was displayed since her father never approved of her desire to create. "Do you _have_ to go to school today?"

Quinn nodded and leaned against her door frame, "Unfortunately."

Abigail frowned and hugged Harry to her chest, "But then I'll be alone."

"Harry will be with you."

Abigail looked down into the stuffed lion's face before looking back up at Quinn, the usually happy blue eyes tainted with shining fear. "Daddy's staying home from work today."

Quinn stiffened at the mention of their father. Because Abigail had a textbook case of ADHD, Russel Fabray was always much harder on her for her lack of focus. She was in no way stupid. She was actually rather brilliant; she just had a hard time concentrating on things that didn't interest her. Their father wouldn't believe that she had any sort of disability and attributed her work habits to her just being lazy. She was prone to getting notes from her teachers that said that she didn't pay attention and some of her grades stay mostly in the B range which, to their alcoholic father, was not good enough. More than once, Quinn had come home to hear her father yell at Abigail in her bedroom and she spent those days trying to make her feel better. She's never seen her father raise a hand to Abby, but she wouldn't put it past him. Quinn walked into Abigail's room and took a seat next to her sister on the bed.

"He won't hurt you," she whispered, feeling her chest constrict at the blatant lie. Abigail turned her head to look up at her.

"You'll be home soon, right? You'll come back to protect me?" she asked in a whisper. Quinn smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead, ignoring the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

"I'll always protect you."

Abigail smiled at her and wrapped her arms around her neck. "I love you, Q."

Quinn closed her eyes and nodded her head absently, "I love you too, Abby," she whispered and placed another kiss on her sister's head before standing up. "School gets out early. I'll be home by lunch. I'll see you then, okay?"

"Okay. Bye Quinn!" Abby squealed and grabbed Harry's arm to wave it at her. Quinn giggled and waved back before leaving the room and shut the door behind her. Her smile instantly dropped from her face; it would turn out later that she would not be able to protect her sister from their father.

The door bell rang throughout the house and she shook her head from her thoughts. She turned and ran down the stairs grabbing her car keys off of the table by the door.

"Quinn."

She froze with her hand over the doorknob. It was a voice she hadn't heard for years, not since they had left him. Her mother was already at work, so there was no safety net for her to fall back on. She straightened her posture and turned around to face her father. He stood a good four inches taller than she; the definition of intimidating.

"Good morning, sir."

Russel didn't greet her back, but eyed her up and down, looking for any imperfections before she walked out into the open world. Quinn, in turn, eyed the mimosa in her father's hand. When he drank on the mornings when he had no work, it was a sure thing that he would be absolutely wasted by the time she got home from school. She glanced back up the stairs, the concern for her sister growing tenfold, before looking back into the sharp blue eyes that were already starting to turn red. Russel took a sip from his glass and nodded his head in approval at her appearance. He motioned to the door.

"Who's that?" he slurred.

"Maxine, sir. Her car is in the shop so I'm giving her a ride."

He nodded again and slightly stumbled away, throwing a flippant 'be good' over his shoulder. Quinn watched him leave with a sneer, dropping the 'good girl' act completely. The man was insufferable and she often wondered why her mother never left him sooner. Before things got completely out of hand.

She turned on her heel and grabbed the door handle, yanking it open. The sight in front of her caused her jaw to drop. It was Rachel, looking adorably amazed at the house in front of her, clad in a pair of cut off jean shorts, a Rolling Stones v-neck t-shirt, and a purple zip-up hoodie with the sleeves pushed up past her elbows. She was even wearing Max's glasses, which was unbelievably attractive.

"Rachel," she breathed out.

Rachel turned her eyes to Quinn with a soft smile, "Your house is beautiful."

Quinn looked up at the three story mansion that was her daunting home. Sure, it was beautiful, but the memories inside just made it completely horrific to her. "Thanks."

"I was a little worried when you disappeared on me. I thought I lost you and the Erasers were going to get me, but then I found myself in front of this house in these clothes. You look absolutely delicious in your cheerleading uniform. I believe your idea worked outstandingly. Who am I by the way?"

Quinn blinked as she tried to steer her mind away from the glasses on Rachel's face before the fact that they had to be at school hit her. She walked out of the house and closed the door, motioning Rachel to follow her to her father's BMW in the driveway that he allowed her to take to school. "You're Max right now."

"Oh," Rachel said as she looked down at her attire. She fingered the hem of the t-shirt, "She dresses like a lesbian. Is this her usual attire?"

Quinn laughed as they got into the car and buckled up, "That's her 'Fuck you, I don't care' outfit. She dresses like that when she doesn't feel like putting in the effort. Like today."

"What's today?"

"The last day of school."

* * *

Karen bit her lip as she stared at the card in her hand. She looked up at her brother and huffed at his stupid little smirk.

"Do you have any threes?"

Mitchell looked down at his cards, the smirk growing as he chucked, "No."

She eyed him for a second before growling and throwing the card on Quinn's stomach. "Screw this, that card is going to be the death of me."

Mitchell threw his head back and laughed, placing his cards face down on their 'table'. "You forfeit? Looks like I wi – hey!"

Karen had leaned over and snatched away his cards, peeking at them. Her eyes widened and she threw them down on Quinn, a three of hearts facing up.

"You are such a fucking liar! How long have you had that?"

Mitchell doubled over and laughed harder, "I'm pretty sure that was my second 'go fish' of the game."

Karen let out a squeak of anger and reached over to hit Mitchell in the face. Mitch fell backwards off the bed and caught Karen's wrists as she hovered above him as she swung wildly at him. Over the laughter and angry curses, two loud buzzes caught their attention completely. They turned to the computer horrified.

"Oh fuck," Karen whispered as she scurried over to the machine with Mitch right behind her. She pressed a couple of buttons frantically, but the map of the brain remained blank.

"She's off the map," Mitch whispered in disbelief, "Oh, this is bad."

Karen turned to him wide eyed, "Please tell me you were paying attention to Tim when he fixed this the last time."

Her brother stared at her.

"We are so fucked."

* * *

The short car ride consisted of both girls keeping an eye out for anything that may indicate that the memory was falling apart. They each let out a sigh of relief when Quinn pulled into the parking lot of her school without incident. The spot that she parked in was the closet to the campus, a spot that was obviously designated just for her. She turned off the car and passed the keys to Rachel, who pocketed them.

"Just follow me, okay? You have most of my classes anyway."

Rachel nodded and leaned in to give Quinn a kiss, but the blonde backed away. The brunette furrowed her brows, the hurt plain in her chocolate eyes, "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, baby," Quinn whispered and rubbed her forehead. This was all really, _really, _weird, "It's just that . . . you're technically Maxine right now. When you leaned in it felt like I was about to kiss my sister."

Rachel pouted and crossed her arms, "Well, that's unfortunate."

Quinn chuckled and nodded before exiting the car with Rachel right behind her. The second she stepped into the hallway her demeanor changed completely. Her posture straightened, her face became cold and emotionless, and an extra sway was added to her hips. She could feel Rachel staring at her and she knew that she should feel bad. She's never had to personally witness _this _Quinn. She's been told the horror stories, but she knew it would be nothing compared to reliving it with her. She could already tell that it was a mistake bringing Rachel to this memory.

But if they were hidden from those memory erasing assholes, then fuck it.

The students parted like the red sea as they walked down the hall towards their lockers. Rachel looked around her with her hands tucked nervously in her jacket pocket, not used to this sort of attention. When they got to the lockers, there were a couple of boys standing right in front of Quinn's. She stopped in front of them, hands on her hips and an annoyed eyebrow arched. She cleared her throat and the two boys turned to her, immediately cowering and backing away, effectively blocking Quinn's locker even more.

Quinn leaned forward with a sneer, "You are in front of my locker, douche bags. _Move_. Unless you'd like to spend the rest of your years in a dumpster."

The two boys scrambled away without a look back. Once they turned the corner, it was like a poison seeped out of her. Those words had fallen from her mouth without her even thinking about them and that feeling of guilt was starting to grow. The No-Bullshit Quinn was fighting for dominance, she could feel it. The Quinn that did what she had to do to be on top, fuck everyone else. The Quinn that took after her father.

She closed her eyes at the thought and cautiously looked over at Rachel who was stunned. This Quinn was a completely different person than the funny and kind Quinn she fell in love with and Quinn regretted bringing her here in that instant. She reached out to touch Rachel's cheek (Maxine's essence be damned) and could've cried when she recoiled from her. Quinn, while it didn't hurt any less, had expected that; Rachel had dealt with vicious cheerleaders for a long time before Quinn went back to Ohio. To see Quinn with such a nasty persona (and those boys were _only_ standing in front of her fucking locker) must have been heartbreaking, just as it was heartbreaking to see that frown etched on Rachel's face. Quinn opened her mouth to apologize, to defend, to assure, anything to wipe that hurt look from Rachel's face, but was interrupted by her – _oh, fuck my life– _boyfriend.

"Hey babe," he greeted with a grin as her ran a hand through his light brown hair. He leaned in and gave her a kiss, making Quinn grimace as his stubble scratched her face. She glanced aver at Rachel, but her head was buried in Max's locker, blocked from view.

She turned back to Robert with a forced smile, "Hey."

The boy leaned in and lowered his voice.

"So, last night was amazing."

Quinn felt sick. She had spent years trying to forget about this day and now she had to relive it again, with her girlfriend be her side no less. That dirty, worthless, _slut_ feeling was as raw as it was three years ago.

"Yeah," she croaked out, avoiding his happy green eyes, "it was."

His grin grew and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against his body, "how about I take you out to dinner tonight?"

Quinn bit her lip, her nose twitching from the amount of cologne permeating from his letterman jacket.

"I can't," she whispered, "I'm taking my sister out to celebrate tonight. Nora's coming back home, too."

"Oh," he said as he tried to school his face to hide the disappointment, "some other time then?"

"Sure," Quinn gave another forced smile and nodded.

He beamed and gave her another kiss, "I'll see you at after school, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

"I love you, babe."

Quinn stiffened and merely nodded her head, even though she was sure she had responded back when this actually happened, and turned towards her locker. When he walked away she leaned her forehead against the cool metal, trying to keep her tears at bay.

"You fucked him."

She snapped her head towards the voice, Max's voice, and found the blonde glaring at her as she closed her locker. She straightened up, looking frantically around for Rachel before turning back to Maxine.

"So what if I did," she whispered painfully as she slowly began to open her locker. Max's glare softened and she stepped closer.

"I spoke to Lisa."

Quinn's hand froze on the dial mid turn. She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words. The tears that she had tried to keep in while talking to Robert were beginning to leak down her cheeks. _Lisa_. How could she forget about Lisa?

"What did she tell you?"

Max sighed and crossed her arms. She was disappointed and Quinn suddenly wished that she would go back to being pissed because this was so much worse.

"Everything," she whispered, "And if you weren't my best friend, I'd be kicking your ass right now."

* * *

Mitch sat at the computer, hopelessly punching in keys, trying to get Quinn back on the map while Karen paced nervously behind him.

"We have to call him, huh?"

Mitch nodded his head and turned in the chair to face his sister. He pointed quickly to his nose, "Nose goes."

"You know what? Fuck you and your fucking childish shit today," she growled at him and reached into her pocket to get her phone. She pulled up Dr. Cohen's number, hesitated only slightly, and pressed call. She put a hand to her forehead and waited. "Tim? Hey, it's Karen. I know it's late, but there's . . . there's a problem. Yeah. Yeah – the same thing as last time. She was on auto-pilot, everything was fine and then – yeah. Thanks, Tim, we're so sorry – okay. Okay we'll see you in a bit. Bye."

She hung up and threw her phone on the bed before collapsing next to it. Mitchell looked at her expectantly.

"He'll be here in thirty minutes."

* * *

The school day continued in broken interludes; Quinn would enter a class and take her seat, only for the bell to ring indicating that class had ended. She'd walk down the hall towards one class and end up in a completely different part of the school. She would be in a conversation with one person, turn her head for a second and end up talking to someone else. Four hours had passed in twenty minutes. It was confusing and frustrating, but her body seemed to know just how to respond to every change accordingly. She hadn't seen Rachel since the beginning of the school day and looked constantly for her girlfriend to no avail. By the time lunch/the end of school rolled around she was a ball of angry nerves, glaring at anyone who wasn't Rachel or Max that crossed her path.

And unlike Max, Rachel had yet to cross her path.

As Quinn was walking towards the parking lot (no one ever stayed for lunch on the last day of school), she finally caught sight of Rachel at the other end of the hall. She walked towards her and smiled, a wave of relief flowing through her before she recognized the outfit that she had on. Her heart dropped and she froze in her tracks. She fleetingly cursed whatever Power That Be that was responsible for this.

_Lisa._

Rachel's eyes were dull and filled with tears as she stared back at Quinn. The world stopped around them as they looked at one another. Quinn didn't know if Rachel fully understood the situation between her and Lisa. Sure they've talked about it _briefly. _But if Quinn had to be honest, the abridged version that Rachel had received didn't do reality justice. No, this, reality, was much worse. And she couldn't tell if the tears of betrayal in Rachel's eyes were Lisa's or her own.

Rachel looked down and walked quickly into the bathroom between them. Quinn glanced around them, making sure they were the only ones who hadn't rushed out of the school when the last bell rang before following Rachel cautiously. She entered the bathroom and let the door shut behind her. Standing in front of the sink, staring into her hazel eyes through the mirror, was Rachel. Her small hands were clenched around the brim of the sink and her tears fell on her strained white knuckles. Quinn took a couple of steps forward, trying to control her breathing as she stared at the broken girl in front of her.

"Rachel." _Lisa_.

Rachel winced at her own name before scowling, "Go away."

Those words still hurt, perhaps even more now. She bit her lip and walked up towards Rachel until she stood directly behind her. She held the eye contact through the mirror as she placed her hands on Rachel's hips. Brown eyes disappeared behind eyelids and the diva inhaled sharply at the contact, leaning into the body slightly before turning around to face Quinn. She threw the blonde's hands roughly off of her.

"Don't _fucking_ touch me," she growled, "get out of here."

"No," Quinn protested quietly.

"_Fuck_, Quinn!" Rachel nearly shouted and shoved the other girl away from her. The tears were falling steadily now down both girl's cheeks. The heavy guilt had settled on her heart and it began to crumble under the pressure. Rachel stared through her, backing away until her back hit the sinks. A look of pained disbelief had overtaken her features.

"You had sex with him."

Quinn opened and closed her mouth a few times, unable to find anything to say. She finally looked away from the broken girl in front of her, steeling her nerves to say what she was meant to say. "He's my boyfriend."

"Right and that certainly mattered when you were taking my _virginity_ yesterday!" Rachel spat angrily at Quinn before collapsing against the sink as sobs began to shake her body.

Quinn let the words cut through her and didn't even bother wiping the tears from her face. She stepped forward and gathered Rachel into her arms. The small brunette struggled only slightly before succumbing to the comfort that was being offered to her. She clung desperately to the blonds cheerleading top as her tears soaked the polyester. Quinn shut her eyes and buried her face into the brown hair. This was a time in her life where she _hated_ herself. Lisa loved her and she knew it. When she took her virginity the day before, she was sincere. It was special in the heat of the moment. It was beautiful. But when it was all over, Quinn just couldn't face the truth about herself. So she broke Lisa's heart, a girl she probably could've fallen in love with.

Her father's voice rang loudly in her head.

She felt dirty. Dirty and sick.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I'm _so_ sorry."

Rachel shook her head against Quinn's chest. She stood up straight and pushed Quinn off of her. Quinn barely caught her footing before a stinging slap connected with her cheek. Instantly, the air grew thick, both girls froze. Quinn raised her hand to tenderly touch the reddened skin. She looked up at Rachel who did not look apologetic. She didn't look angry or sad. She looked empty and defeated.

"I trusted you," Rachel whispered.

_You're the only one that I trust will never hurt me._

Quinn closed her eyes against the words and desperately tried to hold back a sob. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth and backed away until she connected with the bathroom stall. She was in pain and it wasn't because of the slap to her face. She was utterly disgusted with herself. She wished she could take it all back, that she never would've brought Rachel here in the first place. She opened her eyes to stare into the dull brown ones.

"I loved you, Quinn Fabray," Rachel said in the same quiet voice as she inched towards the bathroom exit. She backed into the door so that it opened but stopped before walking out, her eyes never straying from Quinn's tear stained face.

"I never want to see you again."

And with that, Rachel turned and left the bathroom. When the door shut, she allowed herself to fall to the ground and break down in tears. She hugged her knees to her chest and covered her head as she cried. That was the last time she saw Lisa. It hurt _so much_. What happened with Lisa was what she was afraid would happen with Rachel when they were together. That she'd freak out and break her heart. She had two opportunities and she blew them both.

_Worthless, dirty, SLUT._

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her and she let Max pull her up from the ground.

"Come on, Quinn," Max whispered into her ear as she led her out of the bathroom. She could barely see through her tears and before she knew it they were outside in the parking lot. Robert was leaning against her car and when he saw them, he rushed over.

"Quinn! Oh my God, are you alright?"

Maxine glared at him while Quinn just stared at him blankly. She turned to Max "Can you drive us home?" she asked quietly.

Max nodded and pulled out the keys from her pocket, "Of course."

Quinn glanced back at the anxious and concerned Robert, before subtly nudging Maxine toward the car. "I'll be there in a bit."

Maxine hesitated before nodding and walking to the car. Robert watched her go, then turned to Quinn, worry etched all over his gentle features.

"Quinn, what's wrong? Did someone hurt you?" he asked, grabbing her arm to pull her to him.

Quinn winced at the contact and pulled away, wrapping her arms around her own body. Robert frowned. He wasn't an idiot, he could always tell when Quinn wasn't telling him something. Always had an eye for things that were going to turn bad.

"What's going on?"

Quinn looked into his green eyes. He was a sweet man. She didn't deserve him either.

"I can't be with you anymore," she whispered to him, emotionlessly. She looked away from his pained face and his tearing eyes.

"Wh-what? No, I don't – what are you talking about?" he stuttered and took another desperate step towards her, only for her to completely step away from him. She shook her head and continued to walk towards her car.

"I'm sorry, Robert."

She turned and climbed into the passenger seat, telling Max to drive. As they backed out of the spot she could see Robert tell her that he loved her and she slammed her eyes closed. Her eyes remained shut until she felt Max pull into her driveway. She opened her eyes and stared at her house, wanting nothing more than to never have to step foot in there ever again.

Max cleared her throat to catch Quinn's attention, "Are you okay?"

Quinn shook her head, "No."

Maxine bit her lip and leaned over the center console to pull Quinn into a hug. The cheerleader clung to the blonde's hoodie, thankful that she was there. "Things will get better, Quinn," she whispered into her hair.

"And if they don't?" she asked into Max's shoulder.

Max shrugged.

"I'll still love you."

Quinn game a small smile and pulled away to wipe the tears from her cheek. Max gave her a kiss to the cheek before handing her the car keys and exiting the vehicle. Quinn took a deep breath and followed her. They shared another hug, made promises for dinner with her sisters later, and then Max walked across the street to her house. Quinn watched Max until she entered her home before turning to her own. She looked up at the tall structure and sighed. Her day was only going to get worse.

She walked up the path way and opened the front door with her keys. Immediately, she was met with the loud sound of cries and shouts. She dropped her father's car keys to the floor and looked above her. When a harsh whip, followed by a screech of pain cut through the silence of the house, Quinn bolted for the stairs. She ran towards Abigail's room where she knew they were.

She stopped outside the doorway, momentarily frozen by the sight. Abigail was huddled in the corner by her desk, covering her face with her arms as a drunk Russel shouted at her, a leather belt gripped tightly in his hand.

"You _filth_!" he screamed at her, "You will be fixed. You will be _saved_!"

He brought the belt harshly down on Abigail's exposed thigh, causing her to scream in pain. She dropped her hands from her head to cover her leg and Quinn finally caught a glimpse of her face.

It was Rachel.

Quinn saw red. She was sure she'd never been this furious and it was a welcome change to the worthlessness that she had been feeling all day. She rushed forward and shoved her father away from Rachel, causing him to stumble into the wall and drop the belt.

"_Don't you fucking touch her_!" she yelled at him. She could hear Rachel whimpering and whispering her name behind her, making her want to pummel the man in front of her. How dare he hit his own daughter. How dare he hurt Rachel.

Russel's eyes flashed dangerously and he stood up to tower over her.

"You watch your mouth," he told her in a low slurred voice, "move out of the way, Quinn. _Now_."

Quinn's hands shook, wanting nothing more than to wrap her fingers around the older man's neck.

"If you hit her again," she whispered to him, "I swear to God, I will kill you."

Russel growled and backhanded Quinn in the face. She stumbled into the wall and saw spots as a sharp pain spread across her face. She heard the gasp behind her but she couldn't focus. She could feel the blood drip down the side of her head from the cut caused by the ring on her father's finger. Russel grabbed her shoulder and carelessly pushed her to the side. Quinn lost her footing and fell down, smacking her head on the corner of Abigail's desk with a sickening crack. She dropped to the floor in a heap, the cut above her left eye widened by the second impact and bleeding profusely. The world around her began to blur and she could just make out the faint, frantic calls of her name.

Someone dropped down next to her and she looked over at Rachel dazed. The brunette was a mess of tears, weeping and desperately crying out her name. She shifted her eyes to her father who seemed to have immediately sobered up and was looking down at her in guilty shock. His mouth had dropped open, his eyes were wide, his hands were shaking. She turned her eyes back to the panicked girl above her.

"Quinn!" Rachel cried, reaching out as if to touch the blonde's head, before thinking twice. She cried harder, at a lost for what to do. "Oh Quinn, please be alright! You have to be alright!"

Quinn could hardly understand Rachel, but God, did she look beautiful. She cracked a delirious smile and reached up to caress Rachel's cheek.

"Rachel," she whispered. Rachel clutched at the hand on her face, more tears cascading down her face, "I love you."

And then the world went black.

* * *

**A/N: Of course she lives. **

**Song: Quicksand by Andy Davis**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: I will now attempt to explain my actions over the past few months.**

**When I last posted it was a couple of weeks before my finals. Then after my finals, I decided to take summer school. I'm an art major so my classes require a lot of sleepless hours dedicated to trying to make something beautiful. After summer school was over I hit a minor writer's block. Then I had to do a bunch of crap because I'm transferring to a University. Then I had roommate issue (they have been effectively resolved). Then I moved to a new apartment. Then I finished this chapter. **

**So the moral is: I'm sorry for making you all wait. Here's a long chapter for you :)**

**As always: Read, Ponder, and enjoy.**

* * *

**June 17, 2010**

Quinn blinked her eyes open and closed them immediately when the bright florescent lights threatened to blind her. Her head _throbbed_. Her throat was scratchy. That tinge of nausea in her stomach told her that she was probably dehydrated as all hell. She groaned.

This didn't suck any less the second time around.

"Quinn?"

Quinn cracked her eyes open and looked to her right at her sister. Abigail smiled from her spot next to her on the hospital bed that was raised up only slightly. She noticed that the younger girl was lying on her stomach and Quinn kept her eyes away from her back which, she remembered, was still covered in angry red welts and some painful cuts from the metal buckle on Daddy's belt. Instead, Quinn stared into the relieving, calm, blue and tried to smile back.

"Hi," her voice was scratchy and rough.

"Hello to you, Quinn," she chirped in a low voice. Her eyes drifted up to a spot above Quinn's left eye and she frowned. "Are you in pain?"

Quinn nodded her head, which was a mistake as the throbbing only increased.

Abigail reached to the left of her and handed Quinn a paper cup of water (Quinn noticed, with a wave of relief, a Brita next to a whole stack of paper cups) before reaching around her and pressing the call button. "The doctor told me to buzz him when you finally woke up."

She drank from the cup and closed her eyes and sighed. She hated the fucking hospital. "How long was I out?"

Abigail hummed and bopped her head in contemplation. "A little over twenty four hours. I was worried."

Quinn opened her eyes again to look at Abby. She was thankful that her sister's smile was ever present. Someone needed to look on the bright side: that she was awake and mostly fine, and ignore the fact that it was their father that put her in hospital in the first place. Quinn, however, couldn't do that.

"I was worried, too," she whispered. Abigail's smile slowly dropped from her face and she looked down at her hands. "What happened between you and Daddy?"

Abby fidgeted. She was scared. She looked behind them to see if anyone was coming to the room before shyly glancing back at Quinn. It was strange. She cleared her throat and spoke quietly, "I kissed Sarah yesterday. At my culmination. And you know how her parents are. She told them I kissed her and they called and told Daddy. He wasn't happy."

"Oh," Quinn whispered. It had shocked her the first time. Shocked her and relieved her. She wasn't the only one in this family. She wasn't an outcast. Yippee.

"Do you like her?"

Abigail blushed and sort of covered her cheeks with her hands, "I don't know," she said quietly, "I just – we were hugging and celebrating our survival from that hell and she looked so happy and I just wanted to kiss her. So I did. I guess I . . . had feelings for her – but any lingering feelings for her has since passed as it would seem that she's a little closed minded and look where that's landed us. Is that . . .," she glanced nervously at her older sister, "Is that okay?"

Quinn smiled at the shy girl. If she didn't feel like her body was tied to the hospital bed, she would've hugged her. Instead she settled for grabbing her hand.

"If you're happy, that's all that matters."

Abigail immediately brightened, bouncing lightly on the bed as she beamed. She knocked her head lovingly against Quinn's shoulder and pulled back to look at her, her eyes shining knowingly. "You know, I would say the same for you, Quinn."

Quinn stared. Damn Abigail and her ability to read her as if she was a giant, glowing billboard. Damn her for actually paying attention to Quinn's life. Damn the person that was walking towards her room right now, effectively ending their conversation, because she really could use a shoulder to cry on. She squeezed Abigail's hand, hoping to convey her desperate need for the comfort that only her sister could provide her with.

"Later, Abby."

The younger girl gave her a soft smile and nodded just as the door opened. A doctor, whose name escapes her, walked in with a clipboard in his hand. His face was blurred and his voice was muddled, like the teacher from the Peanuts cartoons, but she still remembered the gist of what he was saying. She had a pretty bad concussion. A nasty scar. Stitches. Some tissue that had to be repaired. Amazingly, her skull remained intact (which prompted _hard-headed _jokes from her sisters for weeks) even though it was terribly bruised and still throbbed rather painfully. There was pain medication she wouldn't use except for right now. She had to be careful for a while. Get a lot of rest.

Karma, as it turned out, can be swift and deadly in its execution.

The doctor turned to Abigail and she remembered that he told her the welts should go down by tomorrow and the scars, if cared for, can be gone by the end of the month. He said she got off the easiest, considering the state that Quinn was in. The cheerleader smiled faintly. That was all she wanted. For Abigail to finally get off easy.

She was filled with such glee at that.

After a few questions and some follow-my-finger tests the doctor turned to leave. The door opened before he got there and he never even broke his stride. Just a polite nod to the visitor as he sidestepped her. Quinn's eyes brightened at the sight of the short brunette. _There she is_.

"Nora!" Abigail squealed, and stood up to hurry over to Rachel and pulled her into a hug. Rachel closed her eyes and was mindful to wrap her arms around the excited blonde's neck, avoiding the welts and cuts on her back. Even from her spot on the bed, Quinn could see the tears gathering in the corner of Rachel's eyes. She placed a kiss on Abigail's head and squeezed her arms before pulling back to look into her face.

"Oh, Abby," she whispered, "It's so good to see you."

"As it is to see you," Abigail smiled and pulled her to the bed, "When did you get into town?"

"Um," Rachel looked to Quinn for help when she stopped next to her and the blonde smiled tiredly.

"Last night," she answered quietly.

Rachel turned back to Abigail with a nod, "Last night. I would've come sooner, but I needed a little breather before I came to deal with . . . all of this."

Abigail smiled in understanding and climbed back on top of the hospital bed, lying on her stomach, "Did you talk to mom?"

Quinn nodded and Rachel answered, "Yes. She should be here soon."

"Does she know what happened?" Abigail was quiet and nervous again. It was obvious that Rachel found it a little off putting as well.

Quinn nodded again and Rachel answered, "Yes."

"Was she . . . disappointed?" was whispered.

Quinn shook her head, but Rachel didn't even look and answered, "Never."

Abigail was beside herself with relief and elation, bouncing on her stomach, shaking the bed with her happiness. Quinn grabbed Rachel's hand, turning her attention to her.

"Are _you_ disappointed?" she asked quietly.

Rachel's eyes drifted to the stitches in Quinn's head.

"No," she whispered as she, very gently, brushed the hair away from the scar, "I'm not disappointed."

Quinn gave her a small smile and closed her eyes, tired and delirious from the medicine coursing through her veins.

"You should be."

"Why?" Rachel kept her voice low as she pulled up a chair next to the bed, still clasping Quinn's hand in hers, "We all make mistakes, Quinn."

Quinn turned her head and opened her eyes to look at her girlfriend, unleashing the tears that had built up behind her eyelids.

"I'm so tired of making mistakes."

Rachel smiled at her and carefully wiped the tears from Quinn's face. Always the strong one. "You learn from them. That's why we make them in the first place."

Quinn shook her head, "I'm not sure I can," she whispered, gripping onto the small hand, "What if I don't remember any of this in the morning?

Rachel frowned and interlaced their fingers. She didn't have anything to say because Quinn was right in worrying. Quinn knew that she was right. The blonde gave her a sad smile and leaned into Rachel's hand that had begun caressing her cheek.

"You're not a monster, Quinn."

Quinn snapped her eyes to Rachel. Rachel kept her eyes trained on her hand that was tracing the blonde's cheek.

"I know that you think you would've ended up breaking my heart eventually because that's what happened in your past and that's why you pushed me away, but you wouldn't have. You _know _you wouldn't have." Rachel tightened her grip on Quinn's hand, her eyes still averted. "If only you would have talked to me – told me about your fear of taking care of someone else's heart, I could have given you space. I would've given you more time. I could've helped you. I _would _have in a _heartbeat_. And you _know _it or I wouldn't be saying it now."

The tears were gathering in Quinn's eyes and she made no move to wipe them as they began to trail down her cheeks. The memory was beginning to fade around her, ready to move on to the next one; the generic pictures that hung on the walls were turning white and her bubbly sister had already disappeared. But if there was a perfect time to receive forgiveness that _at the very least _can alleviate some guilt from her conscience, it was now, in the hospital bed after the shittiest day of her life.

"I know," Quinn's voice cracked, but she powered through, "I _know_. I'm _so sorry_, Rach. I can't apologize enough. I wish I could take it all back. I wish I came to my senses before you went and got this done. I wish I never pushed you away in the first place." She leaned back against the pillows and sighed. The medication was starting to make her drowsy, but she fought it. She had to fight it. "You were the best thing that ever happened to me. I want to make it better. I want to wake up next to you forever. I want us to get married. I want us to have kids."

This wasn't the ideal place for Quinn to confess these things, but the smile on Rachel's face made it completely worth it. Besides, that medication was making her drowsy as hell. The diva laid her head down on the pillow next to Quinn's.

"I want that too, baby," she whispered as she ran her fingers through the still soft blonde hair.

"Do you think we can still do that?" Quinn lifted her hand caressed Rachel's cheek in return as it got progressively harder for her to keep her eyes open. "You don't remember me anymore. It wouldn't be right."

"It doesn't matter," Rachel said firmly, personifying that small, confident part in Quinn's mind. Her eyes finally connected with the foggy hazel ones, "If this works, then when you wake up tomorrow morning, you will, at least, know who I am. You'll find me and tell me all about us, okay? You'll tell me all about yourself and you'll be honest. And I will be waiting because you know I'm _miserable_ without you. And we can start over."

Quinn's eyes drooped for a second before snapping open and she shook her head softly.

"How do you know that?"

"Because," she smiled, "we're forever."

Quinn stared at her girlfriend and let a small smile creep onto her face. Always the optimist. "I really wish I could kiss you right now," she mumbled, staring at the plump lips.

Rachel chuckled and leaned forward to place a kiss on Quinn's head.

"I love you," she whispered against the pale skin.

"I love you too, baby."

Quinn shuffled over and pulled Rachel's hand until she lied down on the hospital bed with her. She turned on her side and placed her head on Rachel's shoulder, burrowing her face into the crook of the diva's neck (being very mindful of her injury) and threw an arm over her waist. She closed her eyes and let the memory change with a content smile on her face.

* * *

Karen and Mitchell rushed to clean the apartment of all the beer bottles and wine glasses before their boss arrived and scolded them for drinking on the job. They put away the cards and just as they were fixing the blankets around Quinn, there was a knock on the door. The two siblings glanced nervously at each other before Mitchell decided to bite the bullet and walked slowly to the front door to let Dr. Cohen in. A wave of relief washed over him when he saw the smile on the doctor's face.

"Alrighty," Tim chirped happily and walked in as if this was part of his normal daily routine, "what do you have for me tonight?"

Mitch gave him a small, hesitant smile and led him to the bedroom, "We've tried everything that we can think of, but we can't find her."

Tim nodded his head as he glanced admiringly at the art on the walls. "Amazing," he whispered, his eyes trained on the large painting of emotional ink splatters as he dropped his bag on the floor by the bed. "Yes, it is a rather difficult process. Thank you for calling me instead of just 'winging' it, as they say. Hello, Karen."

"Hi, Tim," Karen greeted from the chair in front of the computer. "How are you tonight?"

"I'm good, I'm good," he smiled as he grabbed his laptop from his bag and sat down next to her, "I had planned a long night at the office to get ahead on some of the filing before the holidays, but I would much rather be doing this to be honest." He chuckled and reached around to plug a few cords into his own computer.

Mitchell and Karen shared a bemused glance; it was almost one in the morning and they're calling him for help once again. But here he was, smiling and pretty much _thanking _them.

A strange man their boss was.

"Okay, okay, okay," the doctor whispered to himself as he began the search for Quinn.

After a few moments, he frowned. "Actually, this is uh . . . a little different." He punched in a few keys, opened up a couple of extra windows and even though the siblings were watching him carefully over his shoulder, they still had no fucking idea what the hell he was doing. Tim chuckled and shook his head. "These girls, I don't know how they do it. This is a bit more difficult than her partner's, but I think I can still fix it. She should be around here . . . somewhere." Finally, he straightened up with a smile when the telltale green dot that pinpointed where Quinn was in her brain showed back up on the map.

"Ah, there she is," he tapped the lone dot on the screen. "_Completely_ off the map. I wonder what she's doing there."

* * *

**June 29, 2010**

Quinn lied back on the couch and closed her eyes. They were moving. Her mom filed for divorce pretty much right after she got the phone call from the hospital. Judy wanted to take them back to Lima which, if Quinn was honest, was _just_ _fine_. There was nothing here for her anymore (with the exception of Maxine and Nora). The bad memories that surrounded her were suffocating and a reminder still throbbed above her left eye. The bruise had spread, giving her a nice shiner that was at least starting to fade, and the stitches just made the scar look scarier than it already was. They were to be taken out the day after they arrived in Lima. At least that will be the only bad memory that she would have to carry with her to Ohio other than, of course, the _actual _memories. Even her belongings (that she wasn't allowed to pack herself because she was too fragile or something like that) were packed away in boxes that were meant to hardly be opened if ever. Pictures of her friends and family, along with a bunch of her other things, were in boxes labeled 'stuff', while all of her cheerleading memorabilia were in boxes labeled 'storage' and they surrounded her in the living room, along with everyone else's crap. There's really nothing like leaving behind your worries.

Or running away from your problems. Whichever helps you sleep at night.

Whatever the case, her sisters and Judy had everything packed and the next day would be their flight out to the good old town of Lima (most of their belongings would be flown out later in the week). She hadn't seen her father for days and the one time she actually saw him, he was signing divorce papers at the house. She kept a good distance away from him and made sure Abigail wasn't even at home at the time. The only thing she would be getting from him from now on was money that would go towards college. And she could deal with that. At least her mother made a name for herself, not to mention a splendid amount of money as the director of the local art gallery (something Daddy _hated _with a devil's passion) and she was already talking about opening her own gallery in Lima. It would seem that her mother had been on the cusp of divorcing her husband all along; hitting her daughters just tipped the scales completely. She didn't seem broken up at all about it. No one seemed broken up about it. Not even Nora. . .

_Speak of the devil. _

She opened her eyes at the feeling of someone lifting her legs and laying them over their lap. She looked at Nora and Nora smiled at her. Her nonchalance to the whole situation was the most surprising. Judy had probably been abused for far longer than either of them, Abigail was always living on the bright side, and Quinn couldn't remember a time where she even liked her father. Nora, however, was Daddy's little girl. Never talked back. Never broke his rules. Straight A student. Valedictorian. Full ride to Santa Barbara. Set the bar far too high for Abigail and Quinn to even dream about reaching. It was actually fucking annoying. Their relationship was always strained, at least until Nora left for college.

But when Nora heard the news of what happened, she turned a completely different leaf in Quinn's eyes. When the eldest daughter came home to find Russel signing divorce papers at the dining room table, Quinn could hear the fierce slap and angry shouts– _I can't believe you! How dare you even fucking _think _of showing your face here! – _coming from her usually obedient sister ringing throughout the house all the way upstairs to her bedroom. And when Nora saw Quinn after her release from the hospital, she pulled her into one of the strongest hugs she'd ever received (and she lived with Abigail. That's saying something). She would later tell Quinn that she only ever strived to be the best, to be what their father wanted because it was the _easiest_ way to avoid trouble and the _fastest_ way to get out from under his thumb. It was a very welcomed surprise.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," Nora smiled, "how're you feeling?"

Quinn shrugged. "Tired. Fine. You?"

Nora rolled her eyes, "Your sister is bouncing off the walls and driving me fucking crazy."

"This probably isn't where you want to be then," Quinn chuckled, closing her eyes again, "You just so happen to be in the middle of Fort Harry. Lieutenant Abigail should be back in a bit."

Nora glanced around at the boxes that were piled high and surrounded her, and scrunched up her nose in slight annoyance. Sitting in the middle of the floor in front of the couch was Harry, the stuffed teddy lion.

"Is she bothering you?" Nora asked, knowing how active Abigail can be in her make believes.

Quinn shook her head with a smile, "Not at all."

Even though Abigail had an affinity for making forts anyway with anything she could, Quinn knew this was saying more than just traditional fun. This was her way of protecting Quinn. She had reiterated several times that Abigail wasn't and shouldn't be blamed for the actions of their father, but she knew, deep down inside, Abigail felt very guilty. So if this was a way to ease Abigail's mind, then she'd gladly play along.

The door bell rang and quick, excited footsteps made their way down the stairs. Quinn and Nora watched as Abigail jumped the last five steps, slid precariously on the hard wood floor and put her hands up just in time to keep from running face first into the front door.

"_Abigail,_" Nora chastised, "will you _please_ be careful."

"Fuck off my tip!"

Nora physically recoiled from the words, flabbergasted. She turned to Quinn for an explanation but the girl just giggled. Nora rolled her eyes, with just a hint of a small smile, and pushed Quinn's legs from her lap.

"I'm not related to her," she mumbled before standing up and walking away towards the kitchen.

Quinn turned her attention back to the door, her body still shaking from her laughter and smiled brightly when Abigail came back into the living room with Rachel trailing behind her. The diva, clad in Max's favorite faded Rugby shirt and a pair of running shorts, and – _thank God _–wire-rimmed glasses, beamed at her and made a beeline for the couch. Abigail waved her arm at Rachel.

"A bespectacled being has come knocking on our door," she said before looking around and frowned, "Where's Nora?"

Quinn lifted her head up so she could lay it on Rachel's lap. "The kitchen. I think you hurt her feelings."

Abigail pouted and made her way over to the kitchen, "Nora! Come back, I love you!"

Rachel chuckled as she ran her fingers gently through Quinn's hair. Quinn closed her eyes; the soothing caress from her girlfriend's fingers along with the playful bickering coming from her sisters in the kitchen were quickly lulling her to sleep.

"Your sister is very special."

Quinn smiled and nodded her head. "I love her for it."

Rachel hummed. "I love her for it, too."

Quinn opened eyes and looked into the brown orbs above. Rachel looked fine; she was smiling and relaxed. But her eyes were sad and even if it was only a little bit, it still broke her heart. The blonde reached up and grabbed the hand that was raking her hair and interlaced their fingers.

"How are you feeling?"

Rachel quirked a smile because she should've been the one to ask that question, but she answered it anyway. "I'm fine. There is an underlying sadness, but I can assure you that it is not mine."

"It's Max's," Quinn explained, "She was pretty upset that I was leaving. We would have spent all of today crying and watching movies and reminiscing about our younger years."

"That's really cute," Rachel chuckled softly. "I'm sorry she's not here so that you could spend your last day with her again. I'm sure it was really special."

"It was." Quinn grinned. "But it's okay. I like having you here."

And for a moment they were just staring at each other with dopey, love-sick smiles and shining bright eyes. Quinn could do this forever, wanted to do this forever. But then her attention was stripped from the warm brown eyes by the silence that had settled around them.

It wasn't right, _fuck_, it wasn't right at all.

She sat up a little, not missing the frown that marred Rachel's face, and looked over the back of the couch towards the kitchen where her sisters _should have_ been talking, but weren't. They were gone. And when the pictures on the walls turned white and her mother's precious flowers began to disintegrate before her eyes she gripped the back of the couch hard and her eyes widened.

"_Shit!_ Fuck, Rach they found us," she rushed out shaking her head. She turned back to Rachel, "We need to lea– "

And Rachel was gone, too. She dropped her hand down on the empty space on the couch. Cold to the touch. She gritted her teeth, didn't bother with her tears that were falling down her cheeks, and shot to her feet. Her head was throbbing from the panic and the rush that went through her brain when she stood up was enough to send her to her knees._ It's not real, _she tried to tell herself, _you are in no pain. You're fine, you're fucking fine! You have to get up. You have to get Rachel. _

"Rachel," she whimpered out as she forced herself to watch the scene fade around her. She closed her eyes, "_Please_. . ."

And then she was gone as well.

* * *

The three technicians all let out a sigh of relief when the green dot showed back up on the correct scan. Tim leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"I will be staying the rest of the night," he informed his two employees, "People who fall off the map once tend to fall off of it again and again. It's a very tricky process and this is not a jab at either of your skills, but I would feel much better about Ms. Fabray's health if I were to do it myself. You understand?"

They both nodded and Tim gave them a bright smile.

"Fantastic!" He clapped his hands and turned back to the computer, "Now, who has a beer for me?"

* * *

**January 12, 2013**

Quinn sat up in her chair and gasped. Her heart was racing so fast, she placed a hand over it to keep it from running out of her chest. She looked down at her lap to find her sketchbook opened to an unfinished drawing of the apartments and tress that she can see outside of the window that she was facing. She smiled; she loved this window. It was the one aspect of the whole apartment that sold her on it. She looked back down at her drawing and sighed happily as her heart settled. She gripped the pencil that was in her hand and pulled it across the slightly rough parchment, completing the roof of the apartments across the street. She's drawn this view several times, in several mediums, and loved _every single one. _

The front door opened and Quinn smiled, but didn't move from her slightly bent over position. Keys were dropped onto the dining table and a bag was discarded on the floor by the couch. Small hands grabbed her shoulders and gently pulled her to lean against the back of the armchair (another favorite of hers) that she was sitting in. The stretch of her back and the cushion of the chair felt fantastic after hours of sitting hunched over a sketchbook. Quinn closed her eyes and sighed as a gentle kiss was placed on the top of her head.

"You are going to hurt your back if you keep sitting like that."

The blonde chuckled, "That's the price I must pay to be a brilliant artist."

"Oh, hush."

Rachel walked to the front of her (careful not to knock over the tin can of colored pencils on the floor), picked up the sketchbook and sat down on Quinn's lap so her back was against the tall armrest. She laid the drawing carefully in her own lap before wrapping her arms around Quinn's neck and pulling her down for a gentle kiss. They pulled back and smiled at each other.

"Hey you."

"Hey, baby," Quinn whispered, placing a kiss on the brunette's cheek."How was work?"

"Soothing," Rachel smiled. The funny thing was she was serious. Nothing could calm her down more than a good book. And it couldn't be a Kindle or a Nook or whatever-the-fuck; she needed to be able to feel the pages – to _smell _them. Sometimes, when Rachel was far too energized for an exhausted Quinn, the blonde would place a bunch of books around the room and start reading. Then she'd watch as Rachel would settle down next to her and the copious amounts of literature would start to work as a sedative to the small diva. It was fascinating.

And Rachel working at a book store? Like Santa Clause on Xanax.

"And what did you do today?"

Quinn blushed slightly and looked down at the drawing in Rachel's lap. Rachel looked as well. "That's the third one."

Rachel flipped back and, yes, there were two other drawings of the exact same view. One in ink. Conté. Colored pencil. All today. She really did love that window. Rachel traced her fingers over the one in pencil, an easy smile on her face. "Is this your favorite thing to draw?"

Quinn arched an eyebrow, "You mean other than you, of course?"

"Of course."

The blond giggled before biting her lip and shrugging.

"I suppose. It's just calming. Like . . . singing your favorite song. I never have _nothing_ to draw because I can sit here and draw this for hours." Clearly not an exaggeration.

They stared at the drawing in silence as Rachel began to hum the opening notes to "Don't Rain on My Parade" making Quinn smile. She leaned down and placed a kiss on the brunette's cheek, letting her lips hover just over her skin. Rachel smirked and turned her head to connect their lips in a slow dance of tongues and moans. They eventually paused for air once their lungs started to burn. Rachel's hand found itself in Quinn's hair, keeping her hovered an inch over her lips. Quinn bumped their noses together.

"I'm going to hurt my back leaning over you like this."

Rachel growled and nipped playfully at the lips above her own.

"You know I despise it when people use my own words against me."

Quinn smirked and crashed their lips together, stealing her girlfriend's breath right out of her lungs. Quinn pulled back and grew a little bit cocky at the dazed look on Rachel's face.

"But it's hot when I do it, huh?"

Rachel shook her head, still staring at Quinn's lips.

"N-no, no it's not," she licked her lips, "It's . . . ugly."'

Quinn laughed and pecked Rachel on the lips. She reached over to move the sketchbook from Rachel's lap so they could move this flirty game to the bedroom. Just as she was about to it lean against the window she noticed that the drawing seemed to be . . . moving. She pulled away from Rachel to get a closer look and dropped the book like white hot coal.

"_Shit_!"

It was erasing itself. It was like rewinding a video of the drawing being made and, under the suffocating panic, she could feel the indignation bubbling up in her for all of her lost hard work.

"Quinn?"

Quinn looked at Rachel and felt the blood leave her face when she found her practically transparent.

"_No_!" she wanted to shout but it came out a strained cry. She wrapped her arms around Rachel and pulled her close. When she felt Rachel's hands cling desperately to the back of her shirt she almost cried in relief, but couldn't waste time. Using the strength she required from the grueling hours of cheerleading and soccer practice, she stood up with Rachel in her arms bridal style and hurried away from the window. Her feet stumbled around and kicked the can on the floor, sending colored pencils rolling along the hardwood only to wink out of sight. She set Rachel down and they watched as the chair disappeared and the buildings outside began to crumble.

Christ, they forgot. How could they forget?

Quinn clasped their hands together and pulled Rachel to the front door and out of the apartment. Doors slammed opened as they ran past them in the seemingly endless hallway and caught glimpses of more happy moments between her and Rachel. Conversations swirled around them mixed with laughter and moans that actually made her blush. Breakfast dates. Lunch dates. Dinner dates. Christmas. Thanksgiving. Halloween. College parties. The first day of school. Unpacking. The drive to New York. Packing. The grip only tightened on Rachel's hand because she knew Rachel would love to stop and watch every single one of them.

"Oh my God, Quinn," Rachel whispered behind her in wonder.

Quinn ignored her and watched the many memories as carefully as she could as she ran past them. It was working before, like a fucking charm. She just needed something deeper than that. That was too recent. An older memory. _Focusfocusfocusfocusfocus. _

Quinn skidded to a halt outside of a door and actually smiled at the scene. She glanced down the hall as the hundreds of doors that she already streaked past began to close. She pulled Rachel into the apartment and let the door shut after them.

* * *

Tim shook his head when the green dot winked out of sight. He rubbed at his chin and took a sip of his beer.

"I believe that Ms. Fabray has figured out the process."

Mitchell and Karen shared an uneasy look. They had no idea what that meant at all.

"Is that bad?" Karen asked.

Tim sighed and began slowly typing away.

"I don't know yet."

* * *

"Tina, you really don't have to walk with me," Rachel whispered, turning to look at the girl who had been walking silently beside her for the past couple of hours, "I don't even know where I'm going."

Tina smiled. She honestly didn't mind the walk. She walked everywhere when she lived in Lima and did so as often as possible when in New York, "Aren't those the best kinds of walks though?" Besides, it gave her time to think.

"They're my favorite," Rachel said, looking down at her feet with a soft smile. She cleared her throat, "It's almost two in the morning. I know you and Mike have work, date night, and packing tomorrow. I don't want to keep you."

"Rachel, you have a flight to catch in the morning," Tina chuckled as she shook her head, "As a matter of fact, your plane leaves in about six hours. You need sleep."

Rachel smiled again, but it didn't reach her eyes and kicked a rock down the sidewalk.

"I don't think I'll be going to sleep," she waved her hand around her head, "There's too much going on in here tonight."

Tina frowned; that worried her, "Are you sure? Even if you don't, it's not safe walking around here so late. "

"I'm sure, but you are right, I _should_ probably get back home" she answered quietly and stopped walking. She looked around her, finally taking the time to study her surroundings. They had walked in a big figure eight and were back by the park, just a block away. She looked up at the apartment buildings across the street from her and tilted her head. There was a strange feeling on this street; her sixth sense was going haywire and the feeling of déjà vu was almost overwhelming. She never needed to go on this street to get anywhere she needed to be so she's never really had the chance to take the time and observe it. It was nice.

"What street is this?" she asked Tina, who had been watching her.

Tina looked around and noticed, with a dropping heart, that they had stopped across the street and a couple of buildings down from Quinn's apartment. She tried to school her features to hide the anxiety that was bubbling up in her gut. The lights in Quinn's living room and bedroom were on and the shutters were closed, but she still needed to be careful standing out here when Rachel's with her. That would bring up a lot of questions she really didn't want to answer. She cleared her throat and looked to Rachel. "52nd Street."

Rachel looked up and down the street and sighed. It was quiet, but still close to stores and restaurants that she could actually eat at. She began walking slowly down the street towards her own apartment. They'd have to pass Quinn's. Tina bit her lip; risky, it was very risky. "It's nice. I would've loved to live here."

Tina nodded her head as she kept an eye on Quinn's bedroom window. "It's quiet here."

"Do you know someone who lives over here?"

Tina snapped her eyes away from the window to the cars on the street when they were right across from Rachel's old apartment. She shook her head. "I used to."

As Rachel turned her head away from Quinn's place to observe the buildings that they were walking next to, Tina scanned the cars parked along the street. She could see the company's white van parked on the corner. They almost walked by it before Tina noticed her uncle's car. She almost did a double take, but didn't want to bring it to Rachel's attention. Why was he here? Was there something wrong with Quinn? She wanted desperately to go to the apartment and find out, but that was absolutely out of the question.

Instead she walked along with Rachel, a plan already starting to form in her head.

* * *

**August 4, 2008**

Quinn looked down the bluff that she stood at the top of. Sometimes she really loved Santa Monica. It could be so picturesque at the right places and times. She had brought many sketchbooks with her during her adventures with Max and whoever decided to join them. Max usually kept the other person entertained while she drew. She seemed to understand and accept that Quinn needed time to let out her creativity, something she wasn't allowed to do at home. Maxine couldn't stand to stay in the house all day so it worked out for the both of them. Even if it was just the two of them, Quinn would sit and draw and Maxine would lie next to her, sometimes talking but mostly content with just being outside.

Today, they would be joined by another and Quinn had decided that, because of their plans, she would leave the sketchbook at home, safely stored under her bed with the rest of them. She toed a rock off the bluff and watched it roll down to the bottom. Maxine should be showing up soon.

"Hey, _connasse_!"

Quinn smiled and turned around to face Max who already had her shirt off, displaying her navy blue bikini top and flat envy-inducing abs from their rigorous soccer training for the upcoming season. Her regular glasses hung from her owl necklace while her blue fake Ray Bans took up residence on her face. Quinn opened her arms wide for the shorter girl to walk into.

"Darling!"

Maxine grinned and wrapped her arms delicately around Quinn's neck, and kissed her on both cheeks, exaggerating the 'muah' sound. "Honey, it's so good to see you!"

Quinn giggled and gave her a firm hug before stepping over to the person joining them today, a brown haired Sam Evans. She smiled at him and she knew it wasn't as bright as it would have been on any other day, in any other month. This was the summer going into the first year of high school, the same time that Sam's family was moving away. They would be leaving at the end of the week. This was their last hoorah.

She wrapped her arms around Sam's torso and pulled him close.

"Hi," she mumbled into his chest and sighed when he wrapped his arms around her.

"Hello."

They stayed that way for only a short moment, trying to get past the dark side of the situation so they can enjoy their time together. Quinn had met Sam around the same time she had met Max; they were her first friends in California. And for all of middle school it was just the three of them, battling preteen angst and teen angst build up along with idiotic boys _and _girls. She really was going to miss that little bit of testosterone that Sam brought to their triangle.

"Christ, you guys," Max mumbled under her breath as she stepped in between them and dragged them towards the fenced off area of the bluffs that was partially hidden by low hanging trees, "Let's try saving the mushy shit for the end of the day, yeah?"

The fance blocked off a "trail" (the tippy top of the bluffs that was barely wide enough for someone to walk on) that followed the turns of the hill and ended out of sight. The three teenagers looked around to make sure the coast was clear before Sam hoisted himself over the gate and carefully onto the other side. Quinn draped her towel over her shoulder and climbed the fence, jumping to the ground where Sam was there to make sure she didn't fall. She turned around to do the same for Max before following Sam down the thin, twisting trail.

"You sure Mrs. Levi isn't home?" Sam asked after a moment of silence.

Quinn could feel Max lightly grip the back of her tank top; she wasn't a big fan of situations where you could potentially _roll _to your death.

"_Yes_, I'm sure Mrs. Levi isn't home. I wouldn't be cleaning her pool or feeding her yappity ass dog if she was here," Max said with an air of (mostly) playful annoyance, "She took the kiddies to Florida to visit some relatives for a couple of weeks."

The brunette threw a confused look over his shoulder. "If you're feeding her dog _and _cleaning her pool, don't you have a key or something? Couldn't we have just gone through the front door?"

"Wow, Sam, you know what?" she said mockingly, "I originally thought of that, but then decided that instead of the _easy _way, we will _risk our lives _on this godforsaken bluff just for shits and giggles."

Sam rolled his eyes, "Okay then, _why _are we going this way?"

"Because Mrs. Levi's bestfriends live next door and those old bitches won't hesitate to call her and tell her I'm bringing a hooligan and some two-bit hussy into her beautiful home. And then I won't get my 300 dollars."

Quinn reached behind her and grabbed Max's wrist and jerked her, making as if she was going to throw her off the bluff. Max's fingers instantly tightened on Quinn's top while her other hand grabbed the blonde's arm and she gave a surprised scream. Quinn stopped walking to laugh and Max's eyes (greener today) hardened over the rim of her glasses, but she couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

"Oh my _God, _Quinn. I would push you down this fucking shit if I wasn't afraid that the momentum would cause me to tumble after your fat ass."

Quinn just laughed at her again. Sam turned around to face the two girls and shook his head.

"And we couldn't go to Quinn's because . . . ?"

Max raised her eyebrow at Quinn and smirked. Quinn looked over at Sam and sighed, motioning for him to keep walking.

"My father's home from work today," Quinn grumbled as she looked back down at her feet to watch for potential tripping mechanisms, "He doesn't let boys use our pool unless they're family or he's hovering over us the entire time. I'd rather not deal with it."

Sam managed to roll his eyes with annoyance and sympathy as he ducked under a low hanging branch. "Where's Abby?"

"Went shopping with Nora."

"Ooh," the brunette shot a wink over his shoulder, "Maybe I should walk you home later so I can see Nora and say bye. I'm gonna miss her."

"Maybe you should keep that pencil in your pants. You don't want her to laugh at you, do you?"

Maxine guffawed and Sam threw puppy dog eyes over at Quinn with a grin.

"Come on, Quinn. I just want a hug. And a kiss on the cheek. Both of them." He was kidding; Quinn knew it (even though he really did think Nora was hot and didn't hesitate to mention it every chance he got). Usually it bothered her, but it was their last day, so she'd enjoy the banter.

"She's not into brunettes."

"Then I'll go blonde."

Max snorted. "If you go blonde I'll kick your ass."

As Sam laughed, the trail turned and revealed an open backyard with a large patio, complete with a fireplace and barbeque, a large uniquely shaped pool surrounded by loungers, and lots of beautiful green grass that dropped down into the bluffs. The entire backyard was surrounded by large trees, keeping it closed off from the neighbors directly next door, but not to the people who owned the homes situated along the bluffs across from them. All Quinn needed was a pair of binoculars and she could see what the family across the way was watching on their T.V in their living room because of their unnecessarily large windows.

"This is awesome!" Sam squealed and ran toward the pool, peeling off his shirt in the process. Quinn shook her head when Sam canon balled into the pool and headed over towards one of the lounge chairs.

"Quinn! What do you think you're doing?"

Quinn spun around on her heel and beamed happily at Rachel who stood there, shirtless, sunglasses pushed to the top of her head and her hands on her hips looking absolutely adorable. She skipped forward and stopped right in front of Rachel, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hi, baby."

Rachel scoffed and crossed her arms, pointedly ignoring Sam's shouts of glee in the background.

"Don't you 'hi, baby' me! This is blatant trespassing!" she accused, waving her arm at the scene, "What if you were to get caught? You would've been arrested! It would have gone on your record! It could've prevented you from joining me in New York! And _furthermore, _it would– "

Quinn, smile brightening by the second, reached out and grabbed Rachel's hip, pulling her closer, effectively shutting her up. She glided her thumbs softly over her girlfriend's protruding hip bones and had to restrain herself from leaning in to steal a kiss. She was still _technically_ Maxine. She had to remember that. Instead she brushed their noses together; a little thing that never failed to make Rachel smile. And she did.

"I'm happy to see you," she whispered, a hair away from Rachel's lips.

Rachel sighed and leaned their foreheads together, knowing that arguing with Quinn while she was in _Quinn's_ head was absolutely moot. So she just settled for wrapping her arms around Quinn's waist and squeezing ever so slightly.

"I'm happy to see you too."

Then Quinn was grabbing her hand and leading her over to the loungers. She sat down on one while Rachel took the other. They undressed until they were just in their bikinis and lied back as they watched Sam do laps around the pool. Quinn looked over at Rachel and her mouth was instantly dry. _My God, when did Maxine get that bikini? Godsend. Absolute godsend._ She trailed her eyes all the way up the unbelievably long legs, past the forbidden fruit, along taunt abs, lingered on her chest, and scanned the scrumptious neck before settling on the knowing brown eyes that stared back at her from over the rim of blue sunglasses. Rachel smirked and gave her a saucy wink as she trailed her index finger down the valley of her breasts, down the flat stomach, to settle between her thighs, hidden from view by her bent knee. Rachel giggled.

Fucking _giggled_.

Quinn focused on that finger so hard, she was sure Rachel could feel the burn from her gaze. She gripped the armrests – _That is not Rachel. It may look, feel, and sound like Rachel, okay, but that is Max. Maxine Alexandria Marroux. Your bitch of a best friend. You cannot kiss her. You cannot fuck her. You cannot – you look away from her hand right now, Quinn! Good girl – _and focused her gaze on the sky above her. She let out a breath that trailed off in a chuckle. This woman was going to be the cause of a beautiful death for her.

"Fucking tease."

* * *

"Found her," Tim said, mostly to himself as he finished off his beer. "Even further off the map this time."

He pressed a few more buttons and the green dot showed up once again on the scan. He sat back and watched the motionless screen, thoughtfully rubbing at his chin. Karen and Mitchell watched him like he was Yoda, ready to give them some convoluted, life-saving advice.

"Has this ever happened before, Tim?"

"There have been cases where the process goes awry, but the reasons why are usually different," he answered casually, popping his knuckles. "I've never seen this happen before."

Then he chuckled.

"Honestly, it's pretty genius."

* * *

**July 22, 2012 **

Quinn stared lazily at the clouds as she sat on the stairs of the patio in her backyard. She loved clouds. She could stare at them, draw them, and write about them all day. Now, at sunset, the clouds had taken on a red and purple hue and she hoped that when she recreated this later it would come out just as beautiful. She sighed and smiled; it was so peaceful out here.

"It's too gosh darn quiet out here."

Quinn managed to roll her eyes before a large husky nearly jumped on top of her in his excitement. She twisted her head away, avoiding most of the licks Luck tried to land on her face, as she patted him placidly on the head.

"Luck!" Abigail scolded softly as she walked over to them, "Calm yourself."

The dog gave one last lick to Quinn's cheek before going over to circle around Abigail's legs as she held up his rope toy in the air. The cheerleader raised an eyebrow and Luck immediately sat down at her feet. She smiled and scratched him under his chin.

"Good boy."

She threw the toy to the far corner of the backyard, which Luck chased hastily after, and sat down next to Quinn on the stairs. She laid her head on Quinn's shoulder and watched as Luck wrestled with the toy for a few moments before walking back towards them.

"Quinn?" she mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"You're such a loser."

Quinn chuckled and shrugged Abigail's head off of her shoulder with a small grin. Abigail laughed and hooked their arms together.

"I just kid, Quinnie. You know I think you're super cool," she said quietly, taking the rope toy from Luck and throwing it again. They sat in silence for a moment and after a couple of more throws, Abigail turned to look at Quinn, propping her chin on the artist's shoulder. "Are you worried about leaving?"

She was leaving for New York. In about a week. _Oh yeah._

"I'm excited," Quinn answered as she took the toy from Luck this time and threw it.

Abigail smiled and patted Quinn on the head before laying hers back on her shoulder.

"I'm sure I will be worrying about you quite often, Quinn."

The artist smiled. "What? You think I can't take care of myself?"

Abigail stared in front of her silently. Then she shrugged. Quinn was affronted.

"Abigail!"

"No, no, no, not like that," Abigail chuckled as she took the toy from Luck, "Sure, in life you could be the alpha wolf, you know? You got that shit down to a tittle. I'm worried about that heart in your chest and that silly brain in your head."

Quinn, taken aback, arched an eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Abigail sighed and turned her body to face her sister. She twirled the doggy toy between her fingers.

"Now, this could get quite serious, Quinn, but I took my Adderall today so it should go by with the least amount of distractions possible," Abigail beamed and Quinn felt a distinct sense of doom.

"Okay . . ." she said hesitantly.

Abigail placed a calming hand over Quinn's and glanced quickly at the sliding door to make sure they were alone. It was always easier to get Quinn to open up when it was just the two of them and what she was about to say might cause some hurt feelings, as much as Abigail hated it. But someone needed to be blunt.

Tact was a waste of time.

"Quinn, you know I love you," she said quietly, easing her in, "and I love the small one like a sister. I'd hate to see either of you hurt."

Quinn dropped her eyes from the almost regretful blue ones. The ones that always saw through her no matter how hard or how well she hid her emotions. She knew where she was getting at right from the start. It's not like she's never thought of it before. Abigail sighed, her voice dropping as it does during the rare times that she was serious.

And when she was, you listen.

"I will be the first to admit that I _don't_ know Rachel as well as you know her. Gosh, even Amy knows her better than I. So what she would or could do is a thing shrouded in mystery for me." Abigail twisted her body around again to face the backyard. "But I know _you_, Quinn. I know how you think. I know how you feel. And I know that _you know_ that, despite every unfortunate situation, you deserve and _need _that pretty girl named Rachel. Don't you?"

Quinn smiled. "I do. You tell me every chance you get."

"That's right," Abigail said airily, moving the rope toy away from Luck's persistent snout, "And I fear that you will forget that once I am no longer there to tell you."

Quinn clenched her jaw as she watched Abigail play tug o' war with the dog.

"How could I forget?"

"You forget all the time. I don't constantly remind you because it benefits _me_. I know you _know_ it deep down inside, but there are just times where that obnoxious brain of yours has you believing otherwise," Abigail bit her lip, tearing her eyes away from Luck who was still trying to get his toy back to look at her sister sincerely. "I don't want you to forget. I'm worried that if you do, you won't ask for help or reassurance. You won't even think to get help because you won't believe that you'll need it. And I'm worried about what that will mean if it happens."

Quinn focused her eyes on her shoes, forcing the tears to stay in her body and not leak down her cheeks like they really wanted to. There she goes again. Reading her mind like some fucking psychic. What could she possibly say to that?

"Am I going to hurt her, Abby?"

If there was anyone who would know now, it was Abigail.

Abigail frowned at her sister's broken voice. "You don't have to." She laid her head back on Quinn's shoulder. "I can't tell the future, darling."

Quinn sniffed and wiped her eyes. She shook her head and actually chuckled.

"You could've fooled me."

She was sure that wasn't what was originally said, but nothing else seemed appropriate. Abigail called everything, practically _verbatim, _a year before it even happened. The atmosphere immediately shifted after that. Abigail noticed it. She beamed but tried to hide it against Quinn's shoulder. She nudged their shoulders together.

"I can just read people really well. You know that."

"Yeah. I know that," Quinn whispered, laying her head on top of her sisters. She looked back up at the clouds that were now nothing but dark shadows in the sky. She almost chuckled again. Even Mother Nature knew what she was feeling. It hurt a lot to hear her insecurities repeated back to her by her own sister. The nicer one, too. And contrary to what eventually happened to her relationship with Rachel, she actually _did _listen to Abigail. She applied those words to the best of her ability for a _year_. Then that one line. That one _stupid _line broke through her confidence because nothing is stronger than the memories contained in your brain. And everything went to _shit_.

"I wish I could've taken you with me," Quinn said into her sister's blond hair, "and kept you in my pocket at all times."

Abigail wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist, "Your pocket is too small. You'd just have to carry me on your back."

Quinn chuckled and placed a kiss on Abby's head. She would be so fucking lost if it wasn't for her. She wrapped her arms around the cheerleader's shoulders and pulled her into her side.

"Thanks, Abby."

Abigail smiled and leaned over to kiss Quinn on the cheek, tightening her hold around her waist just a little bit more.

"Quinn Fabray. You don't need me watching your back. You are the strongest, smartest, most caring and creative soul I know. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your sister and I'm 'supposed' to or whatever. I really believe it," she whispered as turned her head to smile at Luck who was tugging on the end of the rope toy that was still firmly in her grasp. "You just make mistakes sometimes. But instead of letting them help you, you allow them to make you miserable. "

Quinn sighed. "I know."

"You deserve to be happy."

"I know."

"_Repítalo, por favor_."

"I deserve to be happy," Quinn said, restraining an eye roll.

Abigail smiled. "And what makes you happy?"

"Rachel."

That didn't even need a moment of thought.

Abigail full on beamed, "The sunshine of your life."

"Forever," Quinn whispered to herself as she stared back up at the darkened sky and the stars that were just starting to shine bright. The sunshine to her life. Without it, her world will die.

And it did.

"Stop, Lucky, that's _my _rope toy," Abigail chided playfully as Luck's tugging became even more insistent. Luck stopped tugging and, after a hesitant moment, let go of the toy all together. He plopped down on his rump and whined, displaying legit 'puppy dog eyes' that humans can only dream of achieving. Abigail just giggled at him. "Okay, okay, it's your toy," she said and tossed the toy to the corner of the backyard. Luck chased after it, his tail wagging rapidly.

Quinn watched as Luck who had walked back up to them. Abigail held out her hand expectantly, but Luck took a step back instead. Abigail raised an eyebrow.

"Give me the toy, Luckster."

Luck growled at her and lowered his upper body to the ground, his tail wagging in the air. Abigail smirked and stood up with her hands on her hips.

"I will give you to the count three then I expect you to give me the rope, mister. One."

Luck shifted backwards some more when Abigail started walking down the patio stairs.

"Two."

Abigail approached Luck, who still looked ready to book it, his teeth clamped tight on the rope.

"Three."

For a moment, it looked as if Luck was actually about to drop the toy, but at the last second ran a few feet away with his tail wagging happily. Abigail crossed her arms and stared at the dog.

"Fine. You leave me no choice, sir. Prepare to meet your inevitable demise."

And she took off running towards Luck who immediately sprinted away, turning it into a good old fashioned game of chase. Quinn chuckled and entertained herself by cheering for Luck as he ducked and duped Abigail over and over again. When the back door slid open, Quinn twisted her head around and beamed at the two people, plus a cat, walking towards her.

"Hello."

Amy and Rachel smiled at her and waved. Jinx trotted forward and brushed her body against Quinn's, purring contentedly. Rachel sat down next to her, immediately cuddling into her side when Quinn threw an arm over her shoulder. Jinx walked over to Rachel and jumped onto her lap, curling into a ball. Amy passed by, patted Quinn on the head with a grin, and strolled over to where Abigail was hunched over, breathing heavily and playfully glaring at the still energetic husky. When she spotted Amy, she straightened up immediately only to collapse tiredly into the arms of her girlfriend, nearly knocking them over.

"You big goof," Amy reprimanded softly over the sound of Abby's giggles.

Quinn smiled at the scene before turning to Rachel who was watching them as well. She leaned over to kiss the side of her head, making Rachel tear her eyes away from the young loves.

"Hi," Quinn whispered.

"Hey you," Rachel greeted, placing a chaste kiss on her lips.

"What were you talking to Amy about?"

Rachel beamed, her body humming with excitement, "Amy wants to take Abigail out on a date."

Quinn was confused, "They've gone on hundreds of dates."

"_Amy _wants to take _Abigail _out on a date."

The artist's eyes widened. "Amy's never initiated a date before? They've been together for over a year!"

"She's initiated it once or twice, but out of the hundreds that they've gone on, that's practically never," Rachel said as the two of them watched Amy and Abigail still stuck in their embrace and talking quietly. "She just wanted it to be special. I gave her some advice. A little bit of encouragement. I think it'll be really romantic."

Quinn pouted. "Why didn't she ask me?"

"Because I'm the romantic one, silly."

"You're just the dramatic one. I'm the subtle romantic."

Rachel shrugged. "Dramatic romance is better."

Quinn chuckled but didn't argue. She loved Rachel's dramatic flair to _everything_, especially when it came to romance. It made everything just a little bit more magical. She stared into the sparkling eyes before her and couldn't resist the temptation to lean forward and kiss her. They kissed slowly, hardly any tongue. They just reveled in the comfort and electricity that sparked every time their lips touched. A happy squeal interrupted their moment and the two of them turned to see Abigail pick Amy up and twirl her around while Luck barked and wagged his tail, the rope toy on the ground and forgotten. In the middle of the third twirl, they all disappeared.

Quinn straightened up, her arm dropping from around Rachel's shoulders. When the trees began to vanish and the grass sunk rapidly back into the ground, Quinn stood up, grabbing Rachel's hand and pulled her with her, making Jinx fall to the floor with an indignant _meow_ before she too disappeared. She dragged them out of the side gate and ran down the street towards their park.

She almost forgot again. Fuck, she needs to start remembering. She can't keep forgetting. She'll lose Rachel.

The houses they passed were replicas of their own. Rachel's house, then Quinn's house, then Rachel's house again. Over and over and over. Quinn could see through the windows in her peripherals. More memories of them, now during the summer. Dates, dinners, movie nights, games nights. All of them, displayed very briefly, before disappearing shortly after they ran past them. She needed a memory that was older, much older. Something hidden deep within the confines of her rattled brain.

She skidded to a halt when the houses before her began to wink out of sight. She glanced behind her at the other vanishing houses and could feel the panic bubble up in her. She was surrounded. Cornered.

"Quinn," Rachel whimpered softly next to her, moving her hands up to grip the blonde's arm.

Quinn pulled Rachel to face her and grabbed the back of her neck, touching their foreheads together. Their bodies were flushed against one another and Quinn settled her hands in Rachel's hair while Rachel settled hers on Quinn's hips. The artist closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Rachel made her calm. Rachel made her focus. She needed to do this. She had to keep Rachel.

She couldn't lose her again.

* * *

Tim sighed when the dot blinked out of sight yet again. He shook his head as the siblings watched him quietly.

"You can't hide, Quinn," he whispered under his breath, "You'll just end up hurting yourself."

* * *

**April 3, 2002**

When Quinn opened her eyes, she was met with a sight that she hadn't seen for years. She was at the vacation home in California that her parents owned, in the middle of her spring break. She looked down at her clothes and smiled wistfully at the flowery dress that covered her eight year old body (at least she was _supposed _to be eight, but she was sure she still looked like she was nineteen). She was barefoot, her sandals were kicked off beside her, and she let her feet rake through the grass of the hill she was lounging on. The view in front of her was of the lagoon that was at the bottom of the hill that the house sat upon. Sitting on the grass, surrounded by tall, bushy trees, were two people she didn't know. She always wanted to go down and sit by the water, but her parents never let her descend the hill, only look. And looking was something she enjoyed doing anyway.

The ocean was in the distance; a blurry blue line against the sky that was hidden behind the "island" that separated the huge body of water from the lagoon. The colors were striking and Quinn let her eyes scan the scenery in an attempt to remember every detail so she could go home and sketch it from memory later. She spent a lot of time looking at the clouds. They were really fluffy, like a bed in the heavens, and their shapes and colors were so captivating. She loved clouds. They always changed. They always moved. Her hand itched to replicate it. She wasn't a fantastic artist yet, but her teachers always said that she was extremely talented for her age. If only her father liked her hobby.

A body plopped down next to her and she turned to look, beaming happily.

"Rachel."

Rachel smiled at her as she toed off her sandals and laid her feet in the cool grass. She was wearing Abigail's favorite dress and Harry was sitting in her lap. She placed a small kiss on Quinn's cheek and grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together. She looked out at the view and smiled.

"I know this place."

Quinn grinned, "Do you?"

"Yes. You painted it," she said quietly, laying her head on Quinn's shoulder, "It's my favorite one."

The blonde chuckled, "They're all your favorite."

"_You're _my favorite."

Quinn bit her lip in an effort to dim the blinding smile on her face, but knew she wouldn't succeed. Rachel always had a way of making her smile. She lied down on her back, pulling Rachel with her. Their bodies immediately cuddled with one another: Quinn's arm around Rachel's shoulders with her other hand on her hip while Rachel wrapped her arms around her waist and tucked her head under Quinn's chin. Quinn sighed blissfully and closed her eyes. She'd have to take Rachel here for real one day.

"You're my favorite, too."

* * *

Tim crossed his arms when he finished getting that stubborn green dot to show back up on the monitor. He gave a sigh as he stretched his arms above his head. Karen, who sat in the armchair in the corner of Quinn's bedroom, looked up from her book.

"Did you find her, boss?"

"Yes I did," he said, cracking his neck as he pressed a few buttons, "I think I'm getting faster at this."

Mitchell looked up from Quinn's sketchbook that was on her dresser. Some of the pages were torn out and a lot of the drawings were of the view from the window in the living room. "You have to teach us how to do the process, Tim. I hate having to interrupt you all the time."

Karen looked over at him and mouthed "kiss ass" with a smirk. He stuck up his middle finger at her and kept it up as he went back to browsing Quinn's sketches.

* * *

**June 16, 2012**

The loud cheers were what caused Quinn to open her eyes. She was surrounded by people, caught in the middle of a sea of red and black. It took a while for her to gather her bearings, but when she looked down at the red gown that she was wearing it all dawned on her.

Graduation.

Caps fell from the sky all around her, people were jumping out of chairs and pulling people into hugs, even people they didn't know. She stood up slowly and took the cap off of her head as she watched the people mill around her. She was in a daze. She stepped away from the happy graduates for some breathing room and ended up by the goal posts, away from the cheering and the laughter. Everyone was moving around her, past her. Seniors cheering. Parents flooding the football field. All smiles and tears of joy and pride.

Quinn couldn't smile. She dropped her cap to the ground and just watched. She failed again. She failed and, in the process, skipped over an entire year of memories of her relationship with Rachel.

She'll never remember them again.

She spotted Rachel, clad in a red graduation gown with the white Valedictorian sash displayed proudly around her neck, walking out of the crowd towards her. She was beaming a genuine Rachel Berry smile as she skipped towards her, her cap clutched in her hand. Quinn managed a tiny smile as she held her arms open for Rachel to run into them. Rachel, laughing happily, literally jumped into Quinn's arms, wrapped her own around the blonde's neck and her legs around her waist. Quinn wrapped her own arms around Rachel and held her close, trying to only focus on having Rachel in her arms again.

"Oh my gosh, Quinn, I can't believe it!" Rachel squealed into her ear, "We did it! We're made it! We're going to New York!"

Quinn swallowed her tears and nodded.

"Yeah," she whispered, her voice obviously portraying the underlying sadness in her heart.

Rachel pulled away to look at her and frowned immediately. She placed her feet back on the ground and reached up to wipe the rogue tear that leaked out of her girlfriend's eye.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

Quinn shook her head as the flood gates opened and she pulled Rachel back into a crushing hug, burying her face into the brunette's neck.

"I fucked up, Rach," she whimpered, "I fucked up so bad."

"Shh, baby," Rachel cooed as she ran her fingers through the blonde tresses, "it's okay, I promise."

Quinn growled and pulled away so she could look into Rachel's eyes.

"It's not okay! I'm going to lose you," she whispered brokenly. She leaned their foreheads together and let out a sob. Her heart was breaking, sewing itself back up, and breaking again. "I can't lose you again, Rach. I can't. I'm so sorry. I'm so _fucking _sorry."

Rachel wrapped her arms tightly around Quinn's waist, murmuring calming words into the artist's ear. When Quinn seemed to calm down, at least when her cries dwindled to sniffles, she pulled away again and tenderly wiped the remaining tears from Quinn's face.

"You have to forget me."

Quinn jerked her head from Rachel's hands, her eyes wide and disbelieving. She frantically shook her head. "No – "

"Quinn, you _have_ to," Rachel said sternly. "You can't keep hiding in your memories. You'll erase everything and when you wake up, you'll have _nothing_."

"It doesn't matter."

"It _does _matter," Rachel snapped with tears in her eyes, but it wasn't angry. It was almost sad. "I've forgotten you already. There is no Quinn Fabray in my life anymore. There's nothing you can do to change that. And you're forgetting me. Soon you won't have a clue who Rachel Berry is at all. You can't do anything to change that either. We have to live with that. There's no other choice."

Quinn dropped her eyes to the ground. Rachel was right. As much as it hurt, she was absolutely fucking right. Nothing she did worked. She only succeeded in erasing memories that weren't supposed to be erased in the first place. She sniffed again and brought her teary hazel eyes up to Rachel's face. She felt broken. She made the biggest mistake of her life and she can't fix it, she can't make it into something positive because, come sunrise, it will all be gone. Forever forgotten.

"What do I do?"

Rachel gave a teary smile, and placed a gentle kiss on Quinn's lips. She pulled away so only a few centimeters separated their faces. She cupped the blonde's cheek and let the pad of her thumb run back and forward across the moist skin. Behind them they could hear their families making their way over to them, but for now, it was just the two of them. Always the two of them. there was only one thing that she could do.

"You relive our moments. One last time."

At that, finally, Quinn smiled.

* * *

**A/N: There's a clue in this chapter as to what my next story is going to be about. **


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm going to be completely honest and say that updates might be scarce because of school and my general laziness. But remember when I said I'll finish this story before the year ends? Well I'm still striving for that, so when school lets out for break I'll try to make sure that updates start pouring in so I can finish on time. I already have the story all outlined. There's the rest of 2012. Then all of 2011. Then a half of 2010 or something. That's a lot.**

**I'm not going to be going through every day, or even every week. Every month, yes. I'll just be touching on specific events that happened throughout their relationship. So every chapter now will have two to four months covered in each. And the small intervals of the real time, with Tina and the Erasers, will either be slimed down or won't be featured as much as before. Haven't decided yet.**

**Anyway. Read. Ponder. And . . . enjoy.**

* * *

**June 10, 2012**

When she stepped out of her last class of the day after her final, the _last_ godforsaken test of high school, Quinn seriously felt like she could burst into song. Literally. She had a song picked out, choreography planned, everything. Instead of probably embarrassing herself, she settled for allowing the very large smile take up residence on her face. As the doors to the other classrooms opened she noticed the same delirious grin on every one of the seniors' faces. She nodded to everyone in blissful understanding as she floated past them on the way to her locker. She bumped into Brittany who picked her up in a bone crushing hug, twirled her around in a circle, then _danced _away towards Santana to do the exact same thing, plus some kissing that was very quickly turning into sex. She shrugged and walked away.

Let them get caught. High school was pretty much fucking over anyway.

She turned down the hallway and beamed at the sight of Rachel throwing out some trash from her locker. She skipped over to her and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend from behind, grinning when she felt Rachel immediately relaxed into her. She closed her eyes, buried her nose into Rachel's neck, into her luscious brown hair and sighed.

"Rach?"

"Yes, Quinn?"

"Can we take a nap?"

Rachel giggled and nodded her head, "That sounds like a marvelous idea."

Quinn moaned; they had stayed awake until the wee hours of the morning studying for their finals together and she was absolutely exhausted. The mere thought of sleep was simply _orgasmic_. Rachel grabbed her notebooks and the few pictures she had in her locker before closing the steel door for the last time. She turned around in Quinn's embrace and wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist. She pulled their bodies flushed together and placed a tender kiss on Quinn's lips. Quinn opened her eyes, the hazel orbs shining happily.

"How was your final?"

Rachel smirked. "Well, Quinn, I have _easily _proved why I am this year's Valedictorian."

Quinn rolled her eyes and gave a light smack to Rachel's ass. Rachel's laugh resounded through the hallway. "Haughty."

Rachel pouted, "Okay, fine. Honestly, I am extremely grateful we studied last night because I feel confident that I did well on my rather difficult test," she admitted as she tucked her head under Quinn's chin. "How was your final, love?"

"Tiring," the artist mumbled as she rested her cheek on top of the diva's head.

"Did you do well?"

"Mhm," she hummed, closing her eyes when Rachel started running her hands up and down her back. She started inching them blindly towards the doors, towards sweet freedom. "Nap time."

"Did you clean out your locker?"

Quinn frowned. "You just cleaned the locker, baby."

"No, I cleaned _my _locker which you like to use as if it were your own," Rachel rolled her eyes playfully and pulled away from the embrace, ignoring the blonde's groan of protest. "And, yes, I put your things in the car already."

"But . . . it's nap time." Quinn pouted and rubbed her eyes, looking remarkably like an adorable four year old girl.

"Stop it," Rachel swatted Quinn's hand away from the blonde's face with a smile, "when your grades come out, you'll be thanking me. And if you clean your locker now, you'll be _that much closer _to being done with high school. Then we can go home and cuddle up on your bed and take a long nap."

Quinn narrowed her eyes at Rachel's oh-so-innocent smile. She wanted nothing more than to be _done _with high school and to just. Fucking. Sleep. And Rachel _so _would use that against her. She began to lead them down the hallway to where her _actual _locker was located, away from sweet freedom. "Come on then, little one."

"You're lucky I have a fondness for that nickname."

Quinn smiled and wrapped her arm around Rachel's shoulder, "Thank the high heavens."

Rachel chuckled and shook her head.

"Also," she said as an afterthought, "In regards to your grades – when I said you'll be thanking me, I mean you'll be _thanking _me."

Quinn stopped abruptly in the middle of the hallway and raised an eyebrow at Rachel's husky, bedroom voice and coy smirk. She licked her lips. Oh that coy smirk. "That sounds . . . heavenly."

"Happy you studied all night now?"

"Oh yes," she let her eyes glaze over as she imagined Rachel wearing nothing, but that coy smirk. "All A's?"

Rachel bit her lip and pondered. Quinn almost bent forward and bit it too.

"I'll allow you one B."

Quinn let out a breath of relief, "Oh thank Go – "

"But if you get a B, I get to tie you up."

Quinn froze and let her mind wander. Rachel with absolute control. And that coy smirk.

"Is that . . .is that a good thing?"

Rachel leaned forward and placed a long kiss on Quinn's lips. Quinn was sure she had sucked the breath completely out of her lungs. When the brunette pulled away, that damn smirk only tightened the leash that was surely about to suffocate poor Quinn.

"It's a _torturously _good thing."

Quinn stared at Rachel's lips for a moment longer before shaking her head out of the gutter and narrowing her eyes again at her sly devil of a girlfriend. First the high school thing, then the wonderful promise of sleep, and now sex. That manipulative vixen! Quinn was suddenly very thankful she was almost positive she aced the hell out of those finals.

"You play dirty, Miss. Rachel Berry,"

Rachel giggled and placed a sweet (no, really) kiss on Quinn's cheek as they started walking again. They stopped at Quinn's locker. Quinn reached out and put in the combination to open the stupid locker that she was sure she hardly used all year. When the door swung open, she couldn't restrain the bright smile even if she tried.

"Oh my God, Rach! When did you – how did you – I don't even!"

She reached in and grabbed the froggy pillow pet that sat smiling in the locker and held it to her chest, nuzzling her nose into the soft green smiley frog face.

"I take it you like him."

Quinn giggled and nodded her head, leaning over to bring Rachel close and give her a long, grateful kiss.

"I love him! Look at him, he's so cute! When the hell did you get time to get him?"

Rachel giggled and laid her head on Quinn's shoulder, "I ordered him ages ago and was saving him for today. I left during my free period while you were taking your Economics final and put him in your locker. Imagine my surprise when I found it practically empty."

"Well, I had some textbooks in here but we turned those in yesterday. Everything else was in your locker. Oh, except for this," Quinn smiled as she reached over to grab the photo booth strip of the two of them that she had taped up on the inside of the locker door. Those four small pictures on that one film strip were some of her favorite pictures in the entire world. The only other copy of it was in Rachel's hands right now. "I figured it would've been a little repetitive."

Rachel smiled at the picture, one hand clenching gently around the copy, while the fingers on the other hand traced over the images that were in Quinn's. They both loved this picture and had displayed them proudly. The short brunette looked at Quinn with a smile and they both leaned in for a loving kiss. It was a fantastic connection between them that Quinn absolutely adored; it seemed like they both knew when the other wanted a kiss or a hug, and when they went for it at the same time it made Quinn feel like they were connected in a way that surpassed the physical realm of being.

It was definitely something special.

"Mmm," Rachel moaned against Quinn's lips before pulling away and smiling. She closed the blonde's locker and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the front doors of the school, "Seeing as you've gotten your pillow pet, _now _it's time for a nap."

Quinn beamed, practically skipping down the hallway, "I already thought of a name for him."

"Yeah? What?"

"Mr. Hoppy," she answered proudly and Rachel giggled.

"Had it been anyone else, I would've said that that name is boring and predictable. But because it's you, I can't help but find it kind of adorable."

"Maybe we can find him a top hat and a little monocle."

Rachel just shook her head and led her excited girlfriend out of the school. Immediately they were both tackled in a hug by Puck who smelled strongly of a joint and was mumbling something along the lines of "This is the greatest day ever."They only had time to pat him on the back before he was running away towards the football field with his arms spread out and laughing like he just found out he had a reserved spot in heaven. Quinn and Rachel shared a confused look before giggling and walking to Rachel's car.

The short drive to Quinn's house was quiet except for the radio. Rachel hummed along to the songs as Quinn cuddled into Mr. Hoppy, content to just close her eyes and listen to her girlfriend. After today such a weight had been lifted off her chest, she could just melt into the car seat she was so relaxed.

This nap was going to be fucking awesome.

"Huh," Rachel hummed when she pulled up in front of Quinn's house. "They're already here."

The blonde opened her eyes and looked across the street at her house. Quinn's car was gone because when Nora visits it becomes _her_ car and she had taken it to visit some of her old friends. Her mother's car was also missing as she was still at the gallery. Abigail's car, however, was sitting in the driveway and Amy's car was parked in front of the house.

"They probably raced each other."

Rachel shook her head and turned off the car, "Those hooligans are going to get in trouble some day."

Quinn chuckled and exited the car. She waited for Rachel to meet her on her side before throwing an arm over the obviously tired girl's shoulder and led her to the house. She opened the door, which was weirdly unlocked, and they walked in. Quinn arched an eyebrow at the small round table that was usually by the door for their keys and whatever, but now was stationed right in front of it. On it were two Nerf guns, a box of those orange foam darts with the blue suction cups on the ends, and a note. They walked up to the table and Quinn retracted her arm from around Rachel's shoulders to pick up the piece of paper that looked like it was torn out of Abby's journal.

_Welcome home my dearest sister and her adorably short girlfriend_. _Congratulations on completing your finals, but before I allow you to take your much desired nap, you must __**survive**__. _

_Amy and I are armed to the muthafucking teeth. These guns and the ammo before you are yours. _

_You are under attack as of NOW._

"Quinn, get down!"

Quinn didn't have time to look up as she was pushed to the ground by Rachel. A soft _thump thump _sounded behind them and they both turned to look at the front door which now had two orange darts stuck to it. Quinn quickly turned to the stairway to see Amy creeping from around the corner and Abigail crouched on the stairs, both with shit eating grins and their guns pointed at them. Rachel and Quinn lunged for their guns and the ammo and ran/crawled to the living room, all while being shot at. Quinn dropped Mr. Hoppy on the couch before dragging Rachel behind the loveseat, her heart spiking every time a dart was heard either sticking to a surface or bouncing off the cushions. They were laughing and breathing hard as they quickly loaded their guns, their previous exhaustion completely forgotten.

"What are the rules?" Rachel shouted to their enemies.

There was a pause in the shooting. "Uh, whoever gets shot loses."

"Do we both have to get shot?" Quinn asked as she stealthily peeked around the chair. Amy and Abigail were crouched behind the wall by the archway to the living room. She raised her gun up and pointed it at them.

"Yes."

"No."

Amy and Abigail looked at each other.

"What do you mean 'no'? Of course they both have to get shot!"

Abigail bit her lip and after some contemplation sighed and called back over to the two girls. "Fine! But when one person gets shot, that's it. You're dead and the other person must fend for themse – "

In the middle of her explanation, Quinn took a shot at them and stuck her dart on the wall they were hiding behind. Just an inch over and she would've gotten Abigail right in the forehead. The younger girls quickly ducked behind the wall.

"You sneaky devil!" Abigail called out.

Rachel looked at Quinn impressed, "You play dirty, Miss. Quinn Fabray."

Quinn just laughed, grabbed Rachel's arm with one hand and the box of ammo with the other and crawled over towards the kitchen, hoping to maybe get the jump on them. Quinn peeked into the kitchen to make sure the coast is clear. He blonde grabbed Rachel's shirt and directed her towards the next hiding spot behind the island while the small diva shot dart after dart at the other girls. They could hear more darts being shot in the other room.

"Abigail, wait. I don't think they're there anymore."

"Oh shit, then I just wasted like five darts on the couch," she heard Abigail curse and then movement, but couldn't really tell where they were going. They kept still while they waited for the footsteps to get to where they were.

"Do you think they know where we are?" Rachel whispered as she peeked behind the counter to the family room which could be seen beyond the bar of the kitchen while reloading her gun with steady hands. There were two other entrances to the kitchen that Quinn kept an eye on: the one from the living room that they just went through and the other from the hallway.

Quinn shrugged as she started taking the darts out of the box and put them in her pockets, "We didn't go that far. Hopefully they think we just ran through the kitchen instead of hiding in he – fuck me."

Rachel looked over at Quinn with her eyebrows dropped (cursing was very unbecoming), only to find that she was staring at the doorway that led to the living room. Luck stood there with his tongue lolled out of his mouth and his tail swaying happily while he stared at them.

"Lucky," Rachel whispered with a stern look. Other than Abigail, Luck oddly listened to Rachel the most, "Go. You'll give away our hiding spot."

Apparently Abigail had already given him some instructions because he began barking loudly and immediately footsteps began thundering towards them. They both shot the dog a glare and Rachel actually took a shot at him, but hit the wall by his head instead. It still was enough to have him scamper away from the doorway. They scrambled to their feet, just as Abigail and Amy made their appearance and began shooting at them as they tried to escape. They crouched low as darts started hitting the cabinets where their heads and upper shoulders would've been. Quinn and Rachel shot behind them blindly as they made their way to the hallway entrance, successfully forcing the other girls to take cover. Rachel grabbed the door handle to the walk in pantry and pulled it open to create a shield for them as they ran passed it into the hallway. Darts could be heard sticking to the other side. Quinn turned her head and smiled at Rachel for her thoughtfulness.

"Shit, I have to reload," they heard Amy whisper. They were able to breathe a little easier because they knew Abigail wouldn't leave Amy until she was ready. They had about a thirty second reprieve before they started chasing them again.

They turned down the hallway and ran towards another seating area that was connected to the family room, but couldn't be seen from the kitchen. They both stopped when they found Jinx sitting on one of the ottomans, cleaning herself. She looked at them curiously and Quinn smirked, shooting a quick glance at where they just came from. If Abigail wanted to use Luck as an asset, she'll use Jinx. On the floor was Jinx's favorite mouse toy and she picked it up.

"Jinxie," she whispered and shook the toy in front of her face. She threw it behind the couch in the family room, extremely thankful that this particular toy didn't have any bells on it.

Jinx gave a soft meow and trotted over to the family room. Quinn grabbed Rachel and pulled her to hide behind the armchair. If they were to peek around the chair they could see the family room perfectly. It was the best place to get the jump on them. They watched Jinx hop onto the back of another couch that was in front of the sliding door to the backyard. She looked down behind it and began to _meow _as if she was having a very deep conversation with the toy mouse (and for all Quinn knew, she probably was). Quinn could see Abigail pointing at the couch from behind the bar and when Jinx jumped behind the couch and started purring, they began creeping towards it.

Abigail and Amy both jumped on the couch and immediately began shooting darts at poor Jinx who screeched and made a beeline towards Quinn and Rachel. When Jinx got to them, they stood up from their hiding spot and unloaded on them. The house was filled with screams and laughter. Abigail managed to do a ninja roll over the top of the couch to land in a heap on the floor unscathed.

Amy wasn't as lucky as Rachel's dart hit her, actually sticking to her chest between the V of her shirt.

She fell to the couch with a dramatic groan which prompted Abigail to pop up from where she was hiding. Her face fell when she looked at the dart and she jumped over the back of the couch again to cradle her "dying" girlfriend in her arms.

"Amy! Oh God, baby, don't die on me!" Abigail cried, dropping her gun to the floor.

Rachel and Quinn crept towards them, their weapons aimed at Abigail. The cheerleader looked up at them, crocodile tears streaming down her face, succeeding in at least making Rachel lower her gun guiltily. Quinn only bit her lip to keep the laughter from spilling out of her mouth.

"You monsters! How could you!" she cried and took the dart from Amy's chest and threw it at them. "She was my love! She was going to be Yearbook editor next year! You cut her down in her prime!"

This time Quinn let a giggle escape, while Rachel and even Amy were smiling at Abby's dramatics.

"Baby," Amy whispered.

"Shh," Abby placed a finger on her love's lips, "Don't talk, save your energy. _I'll hold you close in my arms. I can't resist your charm_."

Rachel beamed at the song and wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist as they watched Abigail sing to Amy.

"_And love . . ."_

"_Oh looov – mmph!" _

Abigail put a hand over Amy's mouth and continued singing as her girlfriend burst into muffled giggles and closed her eyes.

"_I'll be a fool for you," _she reached down and grabbed her gun, "_I'm sure you know I don't mind – Oh you know I don't mi-ind!"_

Rachel and Quinn started swaying, their guns lowered to their sides.

"_Cause you, you mean the world to meeee. Oh, I know, I know, I found in youuu," _Abigail raised her own gun to her head sniffling, the nozzle a few inches away from her temple, "_My . . . endless . . .love."_

Abigail burst into fake tears before raising her eyes to Quinn and Rachel. He gaze hardened and she pointed at them.

"I am _so _haunting your asses."

She pulled the trigger and the dart stuck to her head. She slumped down on the couch, cuddling into Amy. Amy giggled again and reached up to remove the dart before placing a kiss on Abigail's head. Rachel 'aww'd at them and turned to Quinn.

"Can you sing to me when I'm dying?"

Quinn rolled her eyes, "We're not going to think about that, baby. Come on, nap time now."

They placed their guns and the ammo on the coffee table in front of Amy and Abigail and started walking out of the room.

"Bye, girls," Quinn called over her shoulder.

"Bye Quinn! Bye Rachel!"

"This isn't over, you harlots!" Abigail called to them, prompting Quinn and Rachel to chuckle.

They stopped by the living room to grab Mr. Hoppy before making their way up the staircase. When they reached Quinn's bedroom they fell to the bed, the exhaustion from earlier coming back with a vengeance. Quinn opened up Mr. Hoppy so he was more of a pillow than a pet and placed her head on it, sighing contentedly. She turned on her side and pulled Rachel into her so she was spooning her. She nuzzled her nose into Rachel's neck.

"I love you, Rach."

Rachel grabbed Quinn's hand and pulled it to her chest, "I love you too, Quinn."

Quinn smiled and placed a kiss on the back of Rachel's neck before closing her eyes and settling in for what should be the greatest nap ever while the memory crashed down around them.

And when they got their grades for their finals, Quinn thanked Rachel _very_ thoroughly. Free hands and all.

* * *

The walk back to Rachel's apartment was silent, but Tina hardly noticed it; her mind was far too busy. She walked Rachel to the steps leading up to her apartment.

"Well," Rachel started quietly, shoving her hands into her coat pockets, "Thank you for spending time with me, Tina. You really didn't have to."

Tina smiled and shook her head, "Really, Rachel, I don't mind. I'm your friend. I want to help you; I want you to be happy."

Rachel smiled bashfully and threw her arms around Tina in a strong hug. She's felt so lonely lately; she couldn't be more grateful to have someone around, someone she's comfortable with. She closed her eyes against the onslaught of tears; she was so tired of crying all the time. She pulled away and discreetly wiped under her eyes and Tina just smiled at her.

"I really did enjoyed this walk, Rachel," Tina said quietly as she waved down a passing taxi. She motioned for the driver to wait before turning back to Rachel. She pulled her back into a hug, "You'll find someone soon, okay? I'm sure of it."

Rachel chuckled and shook her head. She may not believe Tina, but she was used to hoping.

"I'll see you in Lima, Tina," she said as she opened the door to the taxi for her, "Thank you again. I'm very grateful to have you as a friend."

Tina smiled and nodded, "I'm grateful to have you as a friend, too."

Tina got into the taxi after they said their goodbyes and watched Rachel walk into her apartment building. She worried tremendously for the small brunette; it was only a matter of time before she broke down completely, what with the confusing life she must be leading now. She could help. She _needed _to help.

"Hey, Miss. Where to?" the rather polite driver asked as he looked at her through the rear view mirror.

Tina looked at him then to the apartment building where Rachel had disappeared to. She _can _help. She turned back to him with a smile.

"Can you take me to Lacuna Inc?"

* * *

**May 25, 2012**

Rachel was a ball of excitement, even though they had already gone to New York for Nationals last year and tons of times with her father. It was probably because in a few months she would officially be living there with the love of her life, so Quinn let her be as excited and happy as she wanted to be. After hours of rehearsing (because the New Directions just couldn't ever seem to be prepared before hand), the gleeks were finally allowed to roam the city. Thank God the sun was still out. And Quinn already had a plan on what she and Rachel were going to do.

They walked together hand in hand down a street just a few blocks away from the hotel; Quinn listening to Rachel talk as they window shopped. The small diva seemed sufficiently distracted, and happily so, for Quinn to lead her anywhere without getting questioned. She almost made it to her destination before Rachel began to realize it.

"Quinn, look!" Rachel giddily pointed to a small vegan friendly grocery store _right next to _a vegan restaurant that they walked passed, "This is amazing, it's like a fairytale land! What street is this? I have to remember it."

Quinn giggled at her girlfriend's excitement and wrapped her arm around the diva's shoulders.

"52nd Street."

Rachel stopped walking, her eyebrows adorably furrowed, "52nd? But that's where. . ."

Quinn, with a grin, led a flabbergasted Rachel a little further down the street and across it to stop in front of what would soon be their apartment. Rachel looked up at the building in awe as Quinn wrapped her arms around her from behind and rested her chin on her shoulder.

"This is our apartment?"

"Mhm," Quinn chuckled and placed a kiss on Rachel's cheek, "Do you want to see it?"

The brunette gasped and turned her head to look into the shining hazel eyes, "We can see it?"

Quinn nodded and grabbed Rachel's hand, pulling her into the open front door of the building. Rachel was already swiveling her head around to get a good look at the first floor, even though there wasn't much to see except apartment doors, when Quinn led her into the leasing office. A middle aged man looked up at them and smiled.

"Hi. How may I help you?"

Quinn smiled back and kept a firm hold on Rachel's hand when she could feel her pulling away to go explore the rest of the building.

"Hello. I believe my mom called earlier."

"Oh, Quinn Fabray?"

"That's me."

The man stood up and held out his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Carl."

Quinn shook his hand and he turned around to open the door behind his desk. A few keys hung from hooks on the inside of the door. He scratched his chin for a moment before grabbing a pair and turning back towards them, motioning for them to follow him out of the office.

"The residents of the apartment just moved out last week," Carl explained as he led them up a couple flights of stairs. "The apartment hasn't been cleaned really, but all of that will be taken care of before the move in date."

He stopped in front of apartment thirty seven and let them in with the keys he took from his office. He stepped inside and let the girls in first, watching as Quinn's smile brightened when Rachel gasped in delight. It was very infectious because he himself couldn't stop the small grin from appearing on his face.

"Quinn, my God," Rachel whispered as she scrambled into the living room, spinning around in a complete circle in her attempt to look at everything in the empty apartment. She ran into the bedroom and a happy squeal rang throughout the apartment. "Oh, it's perfect!"

Quinn walked forward though the living room to the window, her window. She smiled at the view; it really was perfect.

Rachel skipped out of the bedroom, beaming brightly, and hugged Quinn tightly from behind. Quinn relaxed in the embrace and smiled at the kiss that was pressed between her shoulder blades.

"I love it, Quinn," the brunette whispered into the soft cotton of Quinn's shirt.

The artist looked over her shoulder at the sparkling brown eyes and placed a chaste kiss on Rachel's lips. "I love _you_."

Rachel giggled, kissed Quinn quickly, and then turned around to talk to the landlord who was examining the chipped paint on the wall with a clipboard in his hand.

"Are there papers that we can sign to put this apartment on reserve? I still need to converse with my parents about the cost. I know this place a little bit over their limit."

Carl furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and looked at Quinn who simply smiled at him. He scratched his chin and shook his head. "This apartment is already paid for."

"Oh," Rachel's face dropped, "Really?"

"Yeah by a, uh," he flipped back through some papers on his clip board, "A Russel Fabray."

Rachel gasped, making Carl jump a little bit, and she spun on her heel to look at a smiling, but nervous Quinn. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but it seemed like this was one of those rare occasions where Rachel Barbara Berry was speechless. Temporarily, of course.

Rachel pursed her lips and turned to Carl. "Can you give us a moment to discuss something, please?"

Carl looked a little startled by the request, but he supposed, since this was technically their apartment anyway, there was no harm in leaving them there alone. So he shrugged. "Sure, I'll just be in the office. Could you girls do me a favor and lock the bottom lock when you leave?"

"Of course," Quinn answered softly as Rachel had already turned back to her.

She watched the door shut behind Carl with a heavy heart. "Rach, I – "

Whatever apology she was going to pull out of her ass was silenced and forgotten when Rachel ran up to her and slammed their lips together. Quinn instinctively wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist and kissed back with just as much vigor, even if she wasn't quite sure what it meant. Whatever it was, kissing could never be a bad thing.

Several moments _after_ breathing had started to become an issue, they finally pulled apart. They were both panting hard; even Rachel, with her impeccable breath control, looked as if she just ran a marathon.

"What just happened?" Quinn asked Rachel as she stared at her lips very dazed and _beyond_ turned on.

Rachel blushed, "I'm sorry. I went about that completely backwards. I just got so excited that we got our dream apartment I couldn't help myself. You know how irresistible you are when I'm happy!"

The artist smirked. "So it's my fault?"

"Yes," Rachel smiled and tucked her head under Quinn's chin, "You should know by now that it's always your fault."

Quinn chuckled and swayed their bodies to a fro in the middle of the empty living room. Rachel placed a soft kiss on Quinn's collarbone and let them stand in silence for a moment. This was their home. This was their sanctuary of love and, for the last month that they lived together, pain. Their hearts will always reside here together, whether they remembered it or not.

Of that, Quinn would bet her life.

"Your dad bought the apartment for us?"

Quinn stiffened at the whisper against her skin.

She nodded her head and answered in whisper, "Yeah, he did."

Rachel pulled away to look into Quinn's eyes that were dark with a pain that ran deep within her soul. She leaned their foreheads together, giving the physical contact that calmed them both.

"Did you talk to him?" she asked gently.

Quinn nodded after a small moment of hesitation.

Rachel seemed conflicted. "And?"

The blonde bit her lip and closed her eyes. She knew Rachel despised the man and in several (completely justified) ways, she despised him too. He was a tyrant. He yelled at his wife. He played favorites with his children. He was a hypocritical bigot. He hurt his daughters. He was a horrible father. A devil of a man. But when she hit the ground and she began to lose consciousness, she saw the regret in her father's eyes. Genuine shame. And now he was buying his lesbian daughter and her girlfriend an apartment in New York.

"I said 'thank you'," she whispered, "And he said 'you're welcome' and that he was sorry."

Rachel leaned forward to kiss the frown away. "Do you believe him?"

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed. A devil of a man, yes, but can't even the devil repent for his sins?

If she can, why can't he?

"He's trying," she finally answered in a small voice, "It's miles far beyond what I expected from him."

The brunette gave a small smile and nodded her head.

"I'm very grateful for what he did for us."

Quinn smiled, her eyes dry as she opened them. She was too, of course she was. They didn't think they were going to be lucky enough. It was the nicest thing he's ever done for her. She leaned forward and kissed the plump lips before her, Rachel melting against her.

In the middle of _their _apartment. God, that sounded awesome.

With a soft moan, Rachel pulled away from the lip lock. "We have to go."

"Wait," Quinn leaned in to steal a few more quick kisses before pulling away with a grin on her face, "Okay, we can go now."

Rachel bit her lip to contain her own smile and stole a few kisses of her own.

"Okay! _Enough_ with the kissing and the cuhnoodling! We're about to be on stage in like two minutes!"

Quinn snapped her head back to glare at Abigail, but immediately frowned at her sister's dress. And Amy's dress. And Brittany and Santana's dresses. And Rachel's dress. She looked down at herself and felt the blood leave her face.

Nationals. Oh hell.

She felt someone tap her on the shoulder and turned around to find Tina, in that fucking dress, smiling encouragingly at her and holding out an acoustic guitar. She grabbed it with a trembling hand. She can play well, sure, but she's more of a piano girl. She'd be confident as hell going out there and playing the piano in front of hundreds of people. But the guitar? That was Abby's instrument; she could make it do whatever the hell she wanted it to do upside down and with her eyes closed. And this was _Nationals. _

Who the fuck put her up to this?

"Baby, you'll do wonderful. Stop worrying."

Oh, right. Rachel did. And how can she say no to Rachel when she's got her leash wrapped tightly around her neck? She looked down at the brunette and let herself fall into those calming brown eyes. She took a breath, stole another quick kiss for good luck, and nodded.

"Okay," she said quietly so only Rachel could hear, "Let's knock 'em dead."

Quinn turned on her heel and walked out onto the stage to the lone stool that sat in the middle of it. The crowd was silent as she took her place and set the guitar comfortably on her lap. She closed her eyes, took a deep calming breath and began to play. Once the first note hit her ears, she smiled.

She can do this.

"_It isn't very difficult to see why you are the way you are."_

She didn't turn around to watch Rachel walk on stage from between the closed back curtains, but when her angelic voice filled the auditorium she couldn't help but beam. The countless rehearsals and practices couldn't compare to this. This was magic.

"_Doesn't take a genius to realize that sometimes life is hard. It's gonna take time, but you'll just have to wait."_

She looked over at Rachel on the left side of the stage to find her smiling at her as she sang. The tears were already starting to shine in her eyes.

"_You're gonna be fine, but in the meantime . . ."_

She joined Rachel in the chorus, letting her voice compliment hers.

"_Come over here, lady. Let me wipe your tears away," _Rachel started slowly walking towards her, and if she had a strap for the guitar she would've met her half way, "_Come a little nearer, baby. Cause you'll heal over, heal over, heal over some day."_

Quinn felt the tears fall down her cheek and didn't care if the audience or the judges could see it. This was a moment just for the two of them this time. This song hit close to home and Rachel sang it to her on one of their early dates. They performed it in front of the glee club and they all loved it enough to try it for Nationals.

She's never been prouder of her girl.

"_And I don't wanna hear you tell yourself that these feelings are in the past," _Rachel was singing straight to her instead of the audience like she did the first part. She still continued her journey towards her, "_You know it doesn't mean they're off the shelf because pain's built to last."_

Rachel stopped a few inches from Quinn, her eyes never leaving the hazel even though that's not what they rehearsed and that's not what they originally did. But Quinn wouldn't have had it any other way.

"_Everybody sails alone. But we can travel side by side. Even if you fail," _she finally reached over and cupped the blonde's chin, "_You know that no one really minds. Come over here, lady."_

She leaned their foreheads together as they sang the chorus again. Quinn closed her eyes, letting the words wash over her. When the chorus was over and the band started to kick in with other background instruments, they stared into each other's eyes and finished the song together.

"_Don't hold on, but don't let go. I know it's so hard," _Rachel walked slowly to the other side of her, trailing her hand across her back and singing into her ear, "_You've got to try to trust yourself. I know it's so hard, so hard._"

"_Come over here, lady. Let me wipe your tears away," _she reached up to wipe them from Quinn's cheeks, "_Come a little nearer, baby. Cause you'll heal over, heal over, heal over someday."_

She played the last chords of the song with the band as Rachel leaned forward and kissed her. This was something else that never happened, but Quinn remembered wanting to kiss Rachel. Thank God for the power of her imagination. Rachel pulled back with a smile and a small blush.

"_Well, you're gonna heal over."_

Once the song was over, Quinn stood up and crushed her lips with Rachel. The roar of applause as people stood on their feet for them was nothing but background static for them. When someone took the guitar from her, she used that opportunity to wrap her arms around her girlfriend and lifted her up in the air. They pulled apart with a gulp of air and Rachel giggled before bringing her mike back up to her mouth

"Ladies and gentlemen . . . New Directions!"

The rest of the club walked out from off stage on both sides as the song began. Quinn walked hand in hand with Rachel to their positions, never taking their eyes off of each other.

"_Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty. Oh, won't you please take me home?"_

Quinn didn't pay attention to the rest of the performance, barely felt the admiration that she did when Santana sang the solos, and kept her eyes trained on Rachel as they sang and danced. Her friends circled around her, but they were just blurs and noises. The applause was again static and instead of bowing she shared another kiss with Rachel. When they were given second place (Vocal Adrenaline got sixth) and the club celebrated on stage, the one and only person she hugged and congratulated was Rachel.

And when they got back to their hotel room they celebrated until the sun started peeking in through their curtains.

* * *

Tina rushed out of the cab, asked the driver to wait, and quickly unlocked the front door to her job. Just like she suspected, it was empty. She turned on the lights, went over to the filing cabinet and opened up the top drawer. She thumbed through the files before landing on Rachel's and pulling it out. She tucked it under her arm and opened the second drawer. She found Quinn's much quicker as it was the first of the F's and flipped it open. Stapled to one flap was the contract that she signed. On the other was the cassette tape. She put both folders in her big purse and walked down the hallway towards the exam rooms.

She opened the door and smiled at the trash bags that were waiting to be taken to the incinerator. Her chest was already feeling lighter than it had in months.

* * *

**May 17, 2012**

Quinn looked into the mirror, smiling at her dolled up appearance. The baby blue dress, the hair. She chuckled; she didn't notice it earlier, but her hair has been progressively getting shorter. Now it was a little bit passed her shoulders when it was down, just enough to put some of it up. There was a small tingle of nervousness, but mostly her body was shaking with excitement.

There was a knock on the door and her mother peeked her head in. She covered her mouth with her hand.

"Oh my God, you look so beautiful, baby girl," she gushed and stepped forward to hug Quinn.

Quinn laughed and wiped the tears from Judy's face. "Thank you, mom."

Judy smiled and clapped her hands together.

"So are you ready?" Quinn nodded with a big smile. "Okay, let's go to the Berry's! I can't wait to see Rachel!"

Quinn giggled as her mother skipped out of the room. She looked over to her bed where Jinx was laying down, watching her languidly.

"How do you think I look?"

Jinx purred and swished her tail. Quinn grinned.

This was going to be a good night.

It was a short, blink of an eye drive to Rachel's house. Her fathers let them in with the same reaction as Judy had. They demanded a picture be taken of them with her, so they took five. Then five more of her and Judy. As they were setting up to get a picture of Quinn with James, Judy, who was behind the camera, gasped. Her eyes were trained on the staircase behind them.

"Oh! Honey, you look beautiful!"

They turned around and Quinn felt her heart pick up. Rachel was gorgeous with her soft pink dress and her hair up. She glided down the steps, never taking her eyes off of Quinn. James stepped over to the side next to his husband to watch the two teens. Quinn grabbed Rachel's hands when she stepped off of the stairs and stopped in front of her.

"You're breathtaking," she whispered and she took her all in. She reached up and played with the strands of curly hair that fell from her do, chuckling at the brunette's blush.

"I'm nothing compared to you," Rachel said shyly, placing a hand on Quinn's hip, "You're a Goddess."

Quinn smiled brightly, vaguely hearing the cameras going off around them. She dropped her hand to the diva's chin and guided her into a soft kiss. She whispered 'I love you' against the brunette's lips and she whispered it back. When they pulled apart, she let Rachel go so she could get the coos and love from their parents. They took a million pictures in the house, in the backyard, in the _front _yard, in front of the limo, _in_ the limo.

Quinn and Rachel never took their eyes off of each other.

When they got to prom, most of the people had already arrived. They got their picture taken, danced together, and giggled as they watched Puck and Sam spike the punch. They shrugged and grabbed two cups. It was senior prom.

Go hard or go home, as they say.

After a few hours of dancing and talking and making out in the choir room, Quinn hugged Rachel from behind and sighed.

"My feet hurt," she mumbled, feeling pleasantly buzzed from the cups of punch she drank.

Rachel giggled and nodded. "Mine too. After the coronation do you want to go?"

Quinn pouted. "Why do we have to watch the coronation?"

"Because that's the climax of every prom," Rachel said as she led them to where the seniors were gathering on the dance floor. "And it's courteous to applaud your fellow students for their win."

Quinn rolled her eyes, but let Rachel drag them to the middle of the mass of finely dressed students. Figgins walked out on stage with the crowns and wasted no time with announcing the winners. She clapped loudly for Sam as he won Prom King and laughed when he stumbled on stage with a large grin, his face slightly flushed from the punch. Once everyone settled down, he brought out another envelope and everyone around them seemed to hold their breath. Quinn buried her face into the back of her girlfriend's neck, so ready to leave.

"And this year's Prom Queen is . . ." Figgins opened it up and read the name a few times, "Quinn Fabray!"

Quinn snapped her head up in utter shock. Rachel turned around in her arms, beaming and clapping away with everyone else, leaning forward to quickly press their lips together. She was so confused; she didn't even start moving until people started nudging her towards the stage. She glanced one more time at Rachel, who winked at her, before turning and walking up the stairs to the stage with the help of Sam. He hugged her.

"What the hell is happening?" she asked him and he just laughed.

Figgins placed the crown on her head and she looked out at the seniors as they cheered. One face stood out the most and it was the only one that mattered: Rachel's proud and beaming face.

The students started to clear the dance floor for them, creating a circle around Quinn and Sam as they stepped down from the stage. Sam put his hand on the small of Quinn's back and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Go dance with your woman."

She looked at him and matched his smile. She kissed him on the cheek before bouncing over to Rachel and grabbed her hand. She looked surprised at first, but then smiled when she was pulled into an embrace and they started to sway to the soft music. Sam went over to Mercedes and brought her out to the dance floor to dance with him. The seniors watched the two couple for a little while before breaking off into pairs and dancing around them.

Rachel smiled up at Quinn. "Are you happy you won?"

"Honestly? Yeah, I am," she answered with a smile. "I didn't even run for Queen."

"Well, I may have been telling people to vote for you behind your back. Everyone seemed to be pretty agreeable to it," Rachel admitted with a guilty sort of smile.

Quinn's heart was ready to burst as she beamed with tears shining in her eyes. Yes, she didn't run for Queen, but it had always been a dream of hers to win. A dream that never really went away with everything else she left in California. She had told Rachel that so long ago.

"You're amazing," she whispered and kissed her again, "Thank you."

Rachel chuckled and dabbed away Quinn's tears with her fingers before it could ruin her makeup. They danced for the rest of the song and when the DJ changed it they said their goodbyes. They walked back to the limo with their heels in their hands.

There was one more place to go.

When they got to the park, Rachel squealed and practically dragged Quinn out of the limo. She was able to grab the two blankets and jackets she had stored in the car (along with some flats for the two of them to wear) and managed to tell the driver that he could leave and to drop their heels and her overnight bag off at the Berry's before she was gone. She let Rachel lead them to their spot like she always did as they talked about their prom. They walked through the trees with their dresses held up so they wouldn't get dirty, their jackets protecting the tops of them. When they got into the clearing Quinn watched as Rachel smiled.

"You remembered," Rachel whispered.

Quinn grinned, leaning over to kiss her cheek and grab her hand. "Of course I remembered."

She led them over by the lamp, to the edge before the drop where the bench used to sit, but someone had moved it off to the side. Instead, there was a cushioned lawn chair that sat in its place. The same fancy kind that Quinn has in her backyard. The ones that Rachel absolutely _adores_. Quinn laid one of the blankets over the cushion and then lied down. She opened up her arms and Rachel lied down on top of her, resting her head on Quinn's shoulder. They toed their flats off. Quinn placed the second blanket on top of them. They entwined their legs and wrapped their arms securely around each other and stared out over Lima.

"Quinn?"

"Hmm?"

Rachel turned her head to look at Quinn, her eyes shining.

"This was one of the most magical days of my life," she said softly and leaned forward to kiss the blonde, "It's was more than I could've hoped for. Thank you."

Quinn giggled, a wave of relief washing over her. Everything went perfectly. It was one of the most magical days of her life as well. There was the pang of pain in her chest when she remembered that it was going to be all gone soon, but for the first time ever she was able to just ignore it.

Just enjoy the moment.

"I love you, Rach."

Rachel lifted her hand to tuck a fallen strand of blonde hair behind the girl's ear and smiled.

"I love you, too."

They kissed for a while until the sky started to lighten just barely. Then they pulled apart and settled back down to watch the sun rise slowly over Lima. The sky and clouds turned into such magnificent colors, Quinn understood easily why Rachel always wanted to do this.

It was simply wonderful.

When the sun rose above the houses and shined on them, they stood up to leave. Rachel worried about the chair, but Quinn assured her the Abigail and Amy would be there later to pick it up. They walked hand in hand through the park and to Rachel's house in silence, listening to the world wake up around them. It was still early when they walked in the house, but they didn't have to be quiet as both of her dads had to be at work before sunrise. They went to Rachel room and shed their dresses, hanging them up in Rachel's closet along with their jackets. They took off their makeup and fake eyelashes, brushed their teeth, and took a quick (completely innocent) shower together. Finally at 7:46 in the morning, they fell into Rachel's bed. And while most teens have sex on prom night/day, they simply curled into each other and went to sleep.

When they woke up, however, is a completely different story.

* * *

**A/N: Oh look, how funny, I used the title of that little vampire fic I wrote (Watch the Sunrise) in this chapter. Completely unintentional, but it still tickles me. **

**Just wanted to be clear. What happened at performance at Nationals was mostly altered by Quinn's imagination to display what she wanted to happen now. When it really happened, you should assume that they kept it professional and not as intimate as I made it out to be. **

**But I agree, it was much better this way. **

**Also, their dresses are the same ones as their _junior _prom. There's a couple of reasons for this. One is that I hated prom (but I still had fun at mine) so it was so much easier just to steal the dresses they wore on the show. The other reason is one that you'll have to wait and see. **

**Songs:**

**Endless love by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross (I'm a FRIENDS fan. Holla if you with me.)**

**Heal Over by KT Tunstall (If you listen to the song, you'll be able to tell where Quinn would be singing back up.)**

**Paradise City by Guns N' Roses (Minus, unfortunately, some of the guitar solo. Come on, it's a singing competition. I think Santana would put an awesome spin on this, so use your imagination.)**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: November already? Shit, I've got **_**finals **_**at the end of this month. My God, time. Where are you going?**

**Okay so a few days after I posted the last chapter I had, for some strange reason, got hits, favorites and story alerts out the ass. And to this day they're still kind of trickling in. It was odd. Awesome, but odd. Then I go on the Rachel_Quinn community on livejournal and, lo and behold, angelica_yo had created a video based off of this fic. I was **_**beyond **_**flattered. And it's a really really good video, something like a trailer if this were to ever be a movie. So in return, I'll pimp out her video:**

**http:/rachel-quinn(dot)livejournal(dot)com/1278359(dot)html**

**(Switch out "dot" for actual dot. And add a second / after http:/) **

**Check it out. **

**Also, anon reviewing has been turned on (sorry, I honestly didn't know I had it off). **

**I have a weird feeling about this chapter. Not sure if it's a good feeling so you tell me what you think. I want to know if I should change the pace of the story. **

**Anyway, it's time for sleep. Read. Ponder. Enjoy.**

* * *

**April 29, 2012**

It was a difficult game.

The other team was talented and sound, but of course you couldn't be in the finals if you were anything less. And they played _dirty_; two of her players had been sent to the sidelines because of accidental injuries that were questionable at best. More than once they had tried to send Quinn out of the game, but only succeeded in pissing her off. There were a couple of almost-fights, one with one of her teammates and one with Quinn herself. Her team had to physically hold her back when she tried to lunge at the girl, and in the corner of her eye she could see Santana being held back by Brittany in the bleachers, her mouth shouting out expletives that were silenced by the outrage of the McKinley crowd. At the look of Rachel, however, her hands worriedly covering her mouth, Quinn took take a couple of deep breaths and turned away from the bitch that knocked her down and tried to break her ankle.

But when the whistle blew and the score was two to one, McKinley, she smirked directly into that bitch's scowling face as she was lifted onto her teammates' shoulders after making the winning goal fifteen seconds before the end. The other team didn't even stay to shake their hands. Fuck em.

The roar of the crowd was deafening and the field was being swarmed with McKinley High students clad in black and red shirts ready to celebrate their first soccer championship win in twelve years. Quinn's eyes scanned the crowd and when she spotted the person she was looking for trying to push her way through the throngs of students, she asked to be let down by her teammates. Once her feet hit the ground she pushed her way through the excited ocean of people until she was face to face with a beaming Rachel.

Rachel jumped into Quinn's arms and wrapped her legs around the soccer player's waist as Quinn spun her around. No words were spoken, only their laughter coupled with the cheers of the crowd around them. They crushed their lips together, Quinn's arms tightening around the brunette's waist as Rachel ran her hands through the blonde's short, damp hair, releasing it from the loose ponytail.

"Quinn! Get your scrawny ass over here!"

Quinn pulled away to look at her team surrounding the large trophy for a picture, waiting for their captain. She smiled and looked back to her dark eyed girlfriend, giving her a quick, firm kiss.

"I'll be back," she whispered against her lips. Rachel giggled and nodded, unwrapping her legs from around the blonde's waist. With one last kiss, Quinn ran over to her team who handed her the trophy. After several pictures and a speech by her tearful coach about how proud she was of them, they were finally set free. Most of team went to the locker room, but Quinn stayed behind to look for Rachel. When she could find her within the crowd she frowned, the dread weighing heavily in her heart, but instantly smiled when her and Rachel's family, along with Amy, Santana and Brittany, Puck, and Sam surrounded her with hugs, kisses, and congratulations.

By the time she had finished talking with everyone and made her way to the locker room, all of the girl's were already showered and changing. Her team clapped and cheered for her when she walked in. Quinn ducked her head and blushed with a roll of her eyes. The room emptied out as she took off her shin guards and cleats, giving her pats on the back and strong hugs. Her nerves were still humming with energy and her head had chosen to relax peacefully on cloud nine. She was literally floating on air and could not wipe the ridiculous smile off of her face.

A knock on the steel lockers caused her to look up and, if possible, her smile grew at the sight of Rachel. Rachel smirked and sauntered over to Quinn who stayed seated on the bench. She stepped in between the blonde's legs and ran her fingers through the golden tresses.

"Mmm, baby," Rachel moaned quietly, her voice husky, "You were so good out there."

Quinn giggled and stood up to back Rachel into the closed lockers.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yesss," Rachel hissed as their bodies were pressed together. "You were _magnificent_."

"Why, thank you, baby," Quinn smiled and kissed Rachel softly on the lips before backing up and taking off her jersey. Off came the shorts, the socks, the sports bra and her underwear. She reached into the locker and grabbed her towel and her shower supplies. She turned back to Rachel with a coy smirk.

"Rach? Eyes. Up here," she waited for Rachel to look up from blatantly ogling her breasts and smiled innocently, "I'm going to take a quick shower, okay?"

Rachel just nodded dumbly and Quinn peeked over her shoulder to watch Rachel stare at her ass as she walked away. She stepped into the shower stall and let the water wash over her with a sigh. She lost track of time as she soaped herself down, but it couldn't have been more than five minutes when she felt arms encircle her waist from behind. She moaned lowly at the naked body that pressed against her back.

"Rach," she whispered and closed her eyes. Slippery hands slid down her stomach and cupped her center. "Oh _God._"

Quinn raised a hand to the shower wall to hold herself up as two fingers entered her swiftly. Her head fell forward at the kisses being placed on her shoulder blades and her hips moved frantically on Rachel's fingers. Her free hand dropped to the arm holding her up around her waist and intertwined their fingers. The fingers inside of her curled to press against the spot that never failed to make her scream and teeth clamped lightly down on her neck. Her body shook, her legs gave away and she let out string of loud obscenities. An innocent little giggle sounded behind her. Quinn opened her eyes and turned around to face Rachel with a grin.

"Well, hello."

Rachel leaned forward to press a kiss to her lips, "Hello, baby. Congratulations."

Quinn chuckled. "Thank you."

They stared into each others eyes, content to let the water cascade over them making their hands slippery as they roamed each other's body. They leaned forward and kissed languidly under the stream. Quinn back Rachel up into the stall wall and dropped her kisses to the diva's neck, to her chest, to her stomach. She was on her knees when she looked up at Rachel, both girls' eyes dark with desire. Quinn trailed her right hand down the brunette's long leg and lifted it onto her shoulder. She leaned in, her mouth centimeters away from Rachel, her scent making her dizzy, hungry.

"Did you lock the door?" she whispered with a tentative swipe along the girl's folds.

Rachel gasped and whimpered, reaching up behind her to grab the top of the wall of the shower stall and one hand to fist in the wet, blonde locks. "Y-yes."

Quinn growled and gripped Rachel's thighs, pulling her closer. The dark hazel eyes shined hungrily as she stared up at her girlfriend,

"Then I want you to _scream _for me."

Rachel's cries of pleasure echoed loudly off the locker room walls.

* * *

Mike was waiting for Tina outside of the apartment when she arrived. She paid the driver and got out of the car with a smile. "Hey."

"Hello," he greeted her with a kiss and walked with her over to the trunk of the taxi that was being opened up by the driver. He peeked in and raised an eyebrow. "Uh . . . what's going on?"

She turned to him with a smile.

"Something epic."

* * *

**April 20, 2011**

Quinn had a very, _very_ long day.

She threw her books carelessly into her locker and covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. She sent a quick thank you to the Gods for her soccer free Friday before the steel door and leaning her forehead against it. She just needed to find Rachel and they can go back to her mother free home and relax. Unsupervised cuddling time sounded like the best cure for this dreadful, life force sucking day. She turned around and bumped right into her grinning . . . completely stoned sister.

"Hi," Abigail breathed out, her sapphire eyes shining with excitement.

Quinn arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Abigail. How many times do I have to tell you not to get high in school?"

Abigail only giggled, "Apparently a lot more, huh?"

Quinn rolled her eyes and began to walk down the hall towards Rachel's locker where she could just see her petite girlfriend between the throngs of (probably high) students. It's not that she was against marijuana use, she did sort of grow up in _California_, it was just that she was against her ADHD sister using it. At least while she was at school. "You better not have gotten in trouble."

"_Au contraire, mon frère_," the cheerleader said with a wave of her hand, "I participated and answered questions and teased my teachers relentlessly just as much as I do every other day. Besides, I timed the brownie perfectly. I ate it thirty minutes before the end of class, Mr. What's-His-Face was none the wiser, so it really didn't start to hit until the bell rang. I am just barely feeling the effects right now as we speak. Therefore, my dear sister, your worry is completely and utterly a cow's opinion."

If she was honest, Quinn had stopped listening at _mon frère_. She didn't even know what the fuck a cow's opinion was. It wasn't until she felt someone jump on her back, wrap their arms around her neck and almost knock her over that she began to pay attention to Abigail again. She held out a hand to steady herself against the lockers before looking over her shoulder to glare at her sister's beaming face.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"You shall carry the knight to her chariot, my trustful steed."

Quinn shook her head and began to walk towards Rachel. "You're an asshole."

"Your face is an asshole," Abigail laughed causing Quinn to begrudgingly smile at her. She hooked her arms under her sister's legs to get a better hold of her as the cheerleader shook happily from her mirth. When they finally made it to Rachel's locker she was just closing the door. She turned around and smiled, laughing lightly at the sight of the two Fabrays. Quinn grinned and stopped in front of her.

"Hey you."

"Hey you," Rachel whispered lovingly and leaned forward to peck her girlfriend's lips. She then gave Abigail a pat on the head and giggled. "Are you injured, Abigail?"

Quinn sighed while the cheerleader nodded her head vigorously.

"Why, yes, Rachel. But Super Quinn saved me from what was certain death and offered to carry me like the Goddess that I am." Abigail grinned and leaned forward to give Quinn a kiss on her cheek.

Rachel beamed proudly at her girlfriend and gave her another kiss. "That's so nice of you, Super Quinn."

Quinn chuckled and shook her head, "Don't encourage her, Rachel."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Rachel smiled, "but Super Quinn is pretty hot."

"Aw, thank you, love," Quinn leaned forward to give Rachel a kiss before she was heeled in her sides by her sister.

"Enough of this mushy stuff, steed. Take me to my chariot. My fair lady awaits me."

Quinn scowled while Rachel giggled and they made their way to the parking lot. Once they exited the building, Abigail jumped off of Quinn's back and ran towards Amy who was leaning against the car. Even from where Rachel and Quinn were standing, they could clearly see the raven-haired girl roll her eyes before Abigail picked her up and spun her around. They chuckled at the sight and Rachel grabbed Quinn's hand as they made their way towards the younger couple.

"Abby, you said you were going to wait until after school," Amy scolded softly as she raked the Cheerio's hair out of her face and shook her head at her bloodshot eyes.

"It didn't hit until the bell rang, babe," she reassured her as she ducked her head to nuzzle her face into the crook of her girlfriend's neck. "I was totally faithful to my word."

Amy couldn't contain the loving smile.

"You're a doofus," she mumbled into the blonde's hair.

"Your face is a doofus."

Rachel and Quinn walked over to the brunette's car a couple spots away.

"Amy, can you drive her please?" Quinn called over to the girls as she opened the passenger door.

"Of course," Amy assured with a smile and pried the keys from Abigail's hand than walked to the driver's side.

"My damsel is going to steer my chariot?"

"That's right, baby. Gotta make sure you get home safe, don't I?"

"Always," Abigail grinned and leaned all the way over the hood, practically climbing on top of it to peck her on the lips. "That means you have to spend the night though. Can't have you driving home either."

Amy smiled and opened the car door. "I already got a bag packed in my car at your house."

"Oh and what did you think was going to happen when you packed that this morning?" Abigail raised her eyebrows with a large excited grin. She giggled, "Was it _naughty_ things?"

Amy just winked and got in the car with a cheeky grin.

Rachel and Quinn followed them home, another blink-your-eye-and-you're-there journey.

"Nora's in town a little early this year," Rachel said as they passed Quinn's car in the driveway.

"I know, I was sad."

The four of them entered the house and the smell of cookies greeted them with a slap in the face. They walked into the kitchen to find Nora pulling the treats out of the oven, clad in a flowery stained apron. She looked up at them and smiled.

"Good afternoon, kiddies."

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "You're making cookies?"

"Not just any cookies, dear sister. _Vegan _cookies," Nora grinned, dumping the finished cookies on a platter that was already piled high. "With marijuana in them, of course."

Amy slapped Abigail's hand away from the tray. "Why'd you make a mountain worth?"

"I'm going to go hang out with some friends. However, I did leave some for you guys," Nora slid over a tray that had about ten cookies on it to Abigail, who immediately grabbed one and stuffed it in her mouth. "Because I'm nice like that. And I already ate one."

The oldest Fabray took off the apron, tossed it on the counter and wrapped the platter of cookies with saran wrap. She picked up the platter walked over to the front door, Quinn's car keys in hand. She stopped in front of Quinn and Rachel.

"So, are you participating in the festivities of today, Rachel?" she asked quietly as Amy and Abigail shared a cookie off to the side and out of ear shot.

Rachel bit her lip. "I didn't plan to. Smoking was out of the question. I value my voice far too much to risk it for a high. But since you've made cookies and _vegan _ones at that . . .," she shrugged, "I'm actually curious."

Nora beamed and looked over at Quinn who looked a little surprised but still had a smile on her face. She's not a pot smoker; she's only done it a few times with Max, but she _did _plan on participating in some way today. It was her senior year and she deserved some illegal fun. She would prefer not to smoke because of soccer, but _cookies_?

Cookies she would gladly do.

Nora walked back over to the tray she made for them and grabbed a cookie. She broke it in half and gave the pieces to Quinn and Rachel. "Eat half now, wait thirty minutes and if you feel like you can take a little bit more then share another one. Alright?"

Both girls nodded. Nora smiled at them, ruffled their hair and walked to the front door, opening it up.

"Okay, I'm out of here, youngins," she pointed at Abigail, "Watch that little delinquent."

The rest of them nodded as Nora left. Amy and Abigail took their cookies to the living room, where the television could be heard being turned on. The Mario Kart theme sounded loudly throughout the house and Abigail's happy cheers bounced off the walls. Rachel looked down at the half cookie in her hand.

"What should I expect from this?" She asked Quinn who already started eating her half.

Quinn shrugged with a grin. "Expect nothing and I'll make sure you have a good time."

Rachel smiled at that and began to eat her cookie.

Hours later, Rachel and Quinn found themselves on the roof outside of Quinn's window. They played hours of MarioKart to the point where the races got so intense their hearts were pounding frantically in their chest. They listened to music so loud it thumped and pulsed under their skin, through their veins, into their brain. They watched old Disney movies so the colors could pop out and they entertained themselves by finding hidden meanings in the dialogue and songs.

Laughter was the soundtrack of the night.

Now, though, silence blanketed the atmosphere around Rachel and Quinn as they cuddled under the stars. Quinn had her back against the side of the house with Rachel between her legs, their hands absently playing with each other. A blanket covered their bodies, creating a _very _comfortable cocoon of warmth.

"Rachel," Quinn whispered, burying her nose into the wonderful smelling brown hair in front of her.

"Hmm?"

"How do you feel?"

Rachel only giggled. Quinn grinned and squeezed her arms around the brunette, snuggling further into her angel of a girlfriend.

"Raaach," she nibbled at her ear, "Tell me. How do you feel?"

Rachel giggled a little more and turned her head to look at Quinn, their eyes red as a result of the one and a half cookies that they ate earlier. She leaned forward to press their lips together in a long chaste kiss.

Because kissing? Kissing was awesome.

Rachel pulled back with soft smile. "I feel fantastic."

"Yeah?" Rachel nodded vigorously. "Me too."

Then more awesome, heavenly kissing. They quickly got lost in the awesomeness, only to be _rudely _interrupted just moments later.

"Hey! Quinn! Is your mo – oh, no, wait, please continue with what you're doing."

Quinn pulled reluctantly away from those soft lips to aim a deathly glare at the two boys below them.

"Puckerman," she growled as Rachel trailed feather light kisses along her neck, "What do you want?"

Puck leered unabashedly until Sam, who was politely trying _not _to stare, nudged him in the ribs. Puck shook his head of the naughty cobwebs and grinned up at the two girls.

"Is your mom home?"

"No. Go away."

"Where is she?"

"Columbus with some friends. There's a gallery opening over there or something."

"Fan-fucking-tastic. We're coming up."

And without waiting for permission, they walked to the front of the house and Quinn could hear the front door open and close from where they sat. She rolled her eyes and bent her head down to continue the wonderful kissing until her bedroom door opened. Rachel turned back to look at the two boys and waved happily at them.

"Hello there," she sniffed and wrinkled her nose, "You guys smell."

Sam and Puck grinned at them and climbed through the window onto the roof. They sat down next to the girls and Puck reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a blunt.

"Do you mind if I light up?"

Quinn shook her head and Puck started the blunt, took a few puffs to get it started and passed it to Sam.

"Your guys' eyes are looking a little red," Puck pointed out with a smirk as he exhaled the smoke, "Was someone having a little bit of fun today?"

Rachel smiled and snuggled back into Quinn's body. "Nora made cookies for us."

"Really?" Sam asked excitedly, passing the blunt over to Puck, "Do you have anymore?"

"I can check," Quinn mumbled and pulled out her phone to text Abigail. Like shit if she's going to get up from her position. A few moments later, Abby poked her head outside the window.

"Oh wow, it's a cool kid party out here," she giggled and offered up a couple of cookies, "Who ordered the cookies? You're interrupting my relaxation time."

Puck and Sam took the treats with identically large grins and proceeded to eat them, all the while still passing the blunt back and forth.

"Well then, you're welcome. Rudeness," Abigail said with a playful roll of her eyes, snatched the blunt away for her own hit before giving it back and walking away, grumbling under her breath, "Fucking pot heads, man, I swear."

Rachel and Quinn giggled as the boys called out their thanks to Abigail's back. After a while, once they all settled down, they laid back to lazily gaze at the sky.

"I love the stars here," Sam whispered as he passed the blunt back to Puck, "You don't see this in Santa Monica."

"I know right?" Quinn said, tracing a trail of stars with her finger. "There's so many."

"They're fireflies," Rachel said, giggling quietly, "Fireflies that got caught in that big bluish black thing."

"I _love_ that movie." Puck chuckled and held his hand out for Rachel to give him a high five. "Dude, I want to go to California!"

"Oh, me too!"Rachel bent her head back to look at Quinn, "We should go!"

"Yeah, like a road trip," Puck sat up on his elbows, the blunt hanging between his lips. "That would be so fucking cool!"

Sam reached over to take the blunt from Puck, taking a puff. "I'm down."

The three of them turned to Quinn. The blonde bit her lip, her eyes focused soberly on the stars above them. It sounded really fun. Even though they were all rather high, they were also rather serious. She could hear the excited conviction in their voices. In her own voice.

It was another thing they never got to do together.

She looked down into Rachel's eyes, lifting her hand to caress her cheek.

"One day," she whispered.

Rachel smiled, eyes clear as any other day.

"One day."

* * *

"This . . . is a bit crazy."

Mike stared at the trash bags in the middle of their living room. He hadn't opened them to look inside, but he didn't have to. He knew _exactly_ what they were.

"I know," Tina said as she bit her thumbnail nervously.

"Are you even supposed to have these?"

Tina shook her head. Then she turned around and walked towards their bedroom.

"I have to make a phone call."

* * *

**April 12, 2011**

Quinn walked into glee and sat next to Rachel in the front row.

"Hi, baby."

Rachel looked up from her Physics book and smiled, giving her a quick kiss.

"You perform today."

Quinn laughed and nodded. This week: songs with the word 'you' in it. Perhaps Schuester is running out of ideas.

"Yes I do."

The diva closed the book and set it on the chair next to her. "Will you tell me what you're singing now?"

"You can't wait five minutes?"

"I've waited all week!" Rachel pouted.

"Aw, baby," Quinn cooed and kissed her forehead, "You're such a trooper."

The brunette rolled her eyes and playfully hit her in the stomach. They waited quietly, playing with each other's fingers, for everyone to arrive and Quinn smirked at Abigail who came in playing the ukulele and singing as she had been for most of the day. Amy trailed in behind her wearing headphones, but still smiling adoringly at her girlfriend.

"_Oh we're the members of the All-American League, we come from cities near and far," _Abigail sang and hopped up on the chair next to Quinn. "_We've got Canadians, Irish ones, and Swedes. We're all for one, we're one for all, we're all American. Each girl stands, her head so proudly hi – "_

"Thank you, Abigail," Mr. Schue called from the front of the club. Abigail smiled, curtsied and sat down in the chair.

"You're welcome_, Senior Schuesterio._"

A chorus of giggles followed that. Will just shook his head, but couldn't help but smile.

"Anyway, we have a couple of performances to do today. Quinn, if you'd like to start us off?"

Quinn nodded with a smile and leaned over to give Rachel a quick kiss on the cheek and to whisper in her ear.

"This is for you."

When she pulled away Rachel was full on beaming. Abigail stood up too, with a kiss to Amy's lips, and went and sat on the stool facing the risers. Quinn stood next to her, a nervous excitement bubbling up from the pit of her stomach. She looked to her sister.

"Count off?"

Abigail smiled and nodded. "Okay, ready? A one, two, eleven, forty-two, ninety-seven."

Then she started playing. Quinn chuckled before turning to focus on Rachel.

"_Don't you worry there, my honey," _she sang and watched Rachel's eyes light up, "_We might not have any money, but we've got our love to pay the bills."_

Most of the club had started swaying, some even singing along quietly, but Quinn paid them no mind. The shine of the chestnut eyes and the beautiful smile on Rachel's face was enough to keep her attention forever.

"_Maybe I think you're cute and funny. Maybe I want to do what bunnies do with you, if you know what I mean," _she winked and Rachel giggled. She walked a bit closer until she could grab Rachel's hand.

"_Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the South of France. Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance," _she lifted their hands, making Rachel stand up, and fiddled with the bottom of Rachel's kitty sweater. The brunette swatted her hand away with a roll of her eyes. "_Let's get rich a build a house on a mountain making everybody look like ants. From way up there, you and I, you and I."_

Quinn started walking backward, pulling Rachel to the front of the club with her. "_Well you might be a bit confused."_

"_And you might be a little bit bruised," _Rachel sang as she raised her hand to touch the scar above Quinn's eye. The blonde grinned and turned the diva around to hug her from behind.

"_But, baby, how we spoon like no one else," _she placed a soft kiss on the back of Rachel's neck, "_So I will help you read those books if you will soothe my worried looks."_

"_And we will put the lonesome on the shelf," _they sang together.

"_Oh let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the South of France," _Quinn looked up surprised when the whole club joined in with them, "_Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance. Let's get rich and build a house on a mountain making everybody look like ants. From way up there, you and I, you and I."_

Quinn turned back to look at Abigail and smirked. Then they sang the chorus for a last time, but without the ukulele and everyone stomping and clapping to the beat. By the time the song was over, everyone was laughing and cheering and out of their seats as Schuester tried to regain control of the club. Quinn engulfed a beaming Rachel into a hug.

"By the way," she whispered in the brunette's ear, "Will you go to prom with me?"

Rachel pulled back, her eyes wide. "Really?"

Quinn nodded with a smile. Rachel didn't answer for a moment and then lurched forward to capture the blonde's lips in a searing kiss.

"Yes."

* * *

Kurt Hummel groaned and turned on his side to pick up that offending cell phone of his. He reached over, glared at the caller I.D., but then frowned. He answered the phone, the sleepiness quickly draining from his body.

"Hello?"

"_Hey. I know you were sleeping, I'm sorry_."

"It's fine," he said rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn, "What's going on, Tina?"

There was a slight pause before Tina whispered into the phone, "_I think I'm going to get Rachel and Quinn back together_."

Kurt widened his eyes and sat up in his bed.

"Tina," he said, "I think that's the greatest idea in the world."

"_Really_?" He could hear the smile and relief in her voice. "_You think it'll work_?"

He threw back the covers and walked over to his closet. He opened the door and smiled.

"Absolutely."

* * *

**March 15, 2012**

Quinn knocked on the door to the Berry's house with a large smile and waited rather impatiently for _anyone _to let her in. When James opened the door she immediately tackled him in a tight hug.

"Oh my god!" he said with a startled laugh, "Quinn! Hello to you too."

"Hi!" she squealed into the cotton of his shirt, her excitement causing her to bounce. Then David walked up to the door as well.

"Honey, who is it – oh!" he looked down at Quinn who now had _him _in a death grip. "Quinn? Do – do you need me to get Rachel?"

Quinn pulled away without answering and ran up the stairs, James and David's confused chuckles following her as she went. When she got to the lop landing, she slowed to a quiet walk, not wanting to give away her arrival just yet. Rachel's door was open and she peeked her head in to find the brunette staring out of her window, earphone buds in her ears. Quinn grinned, walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, laying her chin on her shoulder. Rachel jumped and gave a small yelp of surprise.

"Quinn!" she scolded, elbowed Quinn lightly in the ribs and took the buds out of her ears, "It's not polite to sneak up on people like that and you do it _all the time._"

Quinn giggled. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself."

Rachel rolled her eyes and put her IPod to the side on her desk.

"You can never help yourself."

"Not when I'm around you," Quinn said cheekily and placed little nibbles on the back of the brunette's neck.

Rachel giggled and turned around in Quinn's hold and wrapped her arms around her neck. "So what brings you to my humble abode, darling? Did you call?"

Quinn shook her head. "Nope, I came to surprise you."

"Well, this was somewhat of a predictable surprise since I knew I was going to see you today. An oxymoron if you will."

Quinn smirked and reached behind her to pull out a folded up piece of paper. She held it between them, waving it under Rachel's nose.

"What's this?"

Rachel grabbed the letter and unfolded it. Her eyes scanned it and it didn't take very long for her jaw to drop and a gasp to escape from her lips. She looked up at Quinn, eyes wide and shining. Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"Surprised now?"

She looked back down at the paper. "You got in."

Quinn smiled and nodded. "I got in. I'm officially going to New York."

"Oh my god," Rachel whispered in awe. She shook her head. "There are so many things I want to do to you right now."

Quinn chuckled and grabbed the NYU acceptance out of Rachel's hands and set it on the desk. She wrapped her arms around the diva's waist. "How 'bout a kiss and a 'congratulations'?"

Rachel gave a watery laugh. She leaned forward and a kissed her softly.

"Congratulations, baby," she whispered against her lips. Her mouth lifted into a bright smile as a tear trailed down her cheek. "I'm so proud of you."

Quinn smiled, raising her hand to wipe the tear from Rachel's face. "You're not supposed to cry."

"Happy tears. The happiest tears I've ever cried," Rachel said as she tucked her head under Quinn's chin. "You've just made one of my dreams come true, Quinn. I love you so much."

Quinn closed her eyes and kissed the top of the brunette's head. She remembered feeling so excited, so ecstatic about receiving her acceptance letter. Getting into NYU was a dream come true for her too because she would be able to watch Rachel take over New York without breaking a sweat. They would be together. Just like they should be. It was a happy day.

She felt nothing but heartbreak.

She gave Rachel her dream and shattered it less than two years later.

_Idiot. You fucking idiot._

The blonde squeezed her eyes against the onset of tears, but it was no use. She buried her face in the crook of Rachel's next and held her close. Rachel whispered words of comfort in her ear, running her small hands through her hair and scratching her scalp. Quinn placed a kiss on Rachel's shoulder. She could _feel _Rachel. Her flesh was warm against her lips despite the fact that she was just an imagination. With her eyes closed, she could pretend she was real. Rachel's there, with her.

"I love you too, Rach," she whispered as she opened her eyes and watched the comforter, the wall, the carpet fade with the memory. She leaned back and placed a tender kiss on her lips. "I love you more than you can ever know."

* * *

Karen stared at the pages in her book, but wasn't even trying to digest the words. She bit her lip before smirking and looking up at Tim.

"Hey, Tim, did you happen to see my credit card at the office? I think I left it on my desk."

Dr. Cohen looked up in thought before shaking his head slowly.

"I don't think I saw it, but I wasn't looking either. If you want, you can go check. There's really not much to do here."

Karen closed her book with a snap and stood up.

"Yeah I think I'll do that. I'll be right back."

Tim waved at her absently and she walked over to the door, catching her brother's eye.

He smiled at her and raised his hand to her ear to mimic a phone.

'Call me,' he mouthed.

She gave him a toothy grin and a thumbs up before slipping out of the apartment.

* * *

**February 14, 2012**

Quinn lifted her head from Rachel's shoulder, disturbed from their nap by the muffled squeal and quiet talking coming from across the hall. She groaned and buried her head back into the crook of Rachel's neck, chasing the quickly eluding sleep.

"Is that Abigail and Amy?"

Quinn nodded. Then the door opened and their voices were much clearer.

"Well," Abigail said as she leaned against her doorframe, "We could go for a lovely diner. Then go for a lovely walk. Then come home and sit in front of the fireplace and roast marshmallows."

Amy smiled. "That sounds lovely – "

"And then we can fuck."

"_Abigail!_"

Abigail giggled and pulled Amy into a hug. "I'm just kidding. It'll be totally romantic love making at its finest."

"Perhaps this is a conversation you shouldn't have in front of your sister's room," Quinn called to them, still cuddled up to Rachel. "Especially when said sister and her girlfriend are trying to sleep."

She peeked open an eye to see Abigail roll hers.

"Is this all you guys are going to do on Valentine's day? Lay around?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Rachel answered, her eyes still closed, "Quinn and I have decided that this holiday is completely ridiculous. You should show your partner that you love them every day, not just one out of , in protest, we are going to do nothing overly romantic and treat it like any normal day."

Abigail stared.

"_You guys _are completely ridickledockle."

Amy giggled, grabbed her hand and started to pull her away.

"Have fun tonight, girls," she said as she waved at them.

Quinn and Rachel gave tired goodbyes and watched them leave. Rachel smiled and turned on her side so they lay face to face. Quinn smiled at her, leaned forward to give her a kiss, then cuddled into her chest and closed her eyes.

"They're cute."

Quinn made a noise of agreement.

"And they're right. We should have fun . . ."

Quinn leaned back and peeked an eye at Rachel. At the diva's smirk she arched a sleepy eyebrow.

"What?"

Rachel just pecked her on the lips and rolled out of bed. Quinn let out a small whine and tried to grab the brunette's waist to pull her back into bed, but Rachel was always able to slip out of her grasp.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled into her pillow, "Come back."

Something small and hard hit her in the stomach. The artist was startled awake and she looked down at the packets of post-it notes that lied next to her. She picked it up and rubbed the sore spot on her tummy.

"Ow."

Rachel was sitting at the end of the bed putting on her boots, clad in sweats and Quinn's soccer sweatshirt. She smiled sweetly, not at all apologetic.

"Get up, baby. We need to get about ten more of those."

The blond sat up on the bed and blinked repeatedly at her girlfriend. Rachel chuckled and grabbed Quinn's head to pull her to her feet. She nudged her over to her shoes.

"Go."

Quinn plopped down on floor and tugged on her shoes. "Why are we buying a bunch of post-its?"

Rachel, again, just smiled.

They stopped by the store to get seven five-in-one packets of post-it notes that were fortunately on sale. They got back home and Rachel ripped open one of the packets, pulled out a pad and began sticking them to Abigail's car. Quinn watched on, her eyes slightly widened in surprise.

"Baby, what are you doing?"

Rachel looked over and grinned.

"Having fun."

Quinn laughed, grabbed a packet of her own and helped Rachel coat her sister's entire car in colorful sticky papers. It took them a little over an hour and they were _freezing _their asses off, but the finished product was completely worth it. Abby's car was _covered _in neat little color coded rows of blue, yellow, green, purple and orange. On the hood of the car were red post-its in the shape of a heart, with the words 'Happy Valentine's Day!' written boldly in the center.

They each took photographic evidence with their phones and immediately sent it to the glee club.

Then they went inside, changed their clothes, and cuddled in front of the fire with cups of hot cocoa. Quinn bent her head down and placed a kiss on top of Rachel's head.

"Happy Valentine's day," she whispered.

The brunette smiled and leaned back to share a chaste kiss. "Happy Valentine's Day, baby."

They kissed languidly until they heard Amy and Abigail pull up in front of the house. They looked over at the front door.

"Oh my God!" they could hear Abigail shout from the front yard, "They are so fucking _dead!"_

Rachel and Quinn shared a quick giddy look before laughing and bolting up the stairs, Abigail and Amy hot on their heels.

* * *

Karen pulled up to Lacuna Inc. and looked around, noting that the building was empty. She turned off the van and rushed inside to get out of the cold. The flipped on the light and went straight to the filing cabinets by Tina's desk. She opened up the top one and flipped through the files. She smiled. Then she opened the next drawer and her smile grew.

She closed the drawer and walked down the hall. She opened the door to one of the rooms and chuckled when she found it empty. She shook her head.

"Oh, Tina."

* * *

**January 16, 2012**

Quinn smirked as she brought the mug to her lips. It was her eighteenth birthday and it had been nothing short of spectacular. Rachel had made her a delicious BLT for lunch, gave her the _cutest _stuffed otter that was holding a capital Q and took her to a lovely dinner at her favorite restaurant. It was all very romantic. _Dramatically _romantic.

Now, she relaxed on the couch with her feet in Rachel's lap, who sat on the table across from her, as the diva's talented fingers massaged her feet. Rachel smiled at her.

"How's your birthday been so far?"

"So far?" Quinn quirked an eyebrow, "It's not done yet?"

Rachel winked. Quinn giggled and did a little internal dance.

Birthday sex was definitely the plan for tonight.

The sound of a shutter caught their attention and they looked over to find Nora smiling at them with her Nikon in her hands.

"That is too adorable."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I politely ask you to never show anyone that picture."

"I want that picture."

The brunette slapped her leg with a playful glare. Nora walked over and handed Rachel her camera.

"Hold that, darling. I need both hands for this," then she sat down next to Quinn and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. "Happy birthday, little sister!"

"Oh God," Quinn groaned as the older Fabray crushed her and placed a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "Oh, no, cooties. Gross."

"I loooove you, Quinnie!" Nora cooed and rocked Quinn happily back and forth as Rachel took picture after picture of them. "Oh those are _great_ pictures. Here, wait, take another one."

Nora brought their faces together and she beamed at the camera while Quinn looked annoyed. Rachel giggled and took a couple more.

"Oh, are we taking pictures!"

Nora's smile dropped from her face and she had a look of something akin to fright. "Oh no, not the other one."

Abigail skipped into the living room and stopped behind the couch. She wrapped her arms around her sisters' necks and propped their chin on their heads and beaming. Nora and Quinn looked up at their sister in fond amusement before sharing a chuckle.

All the while, Rachel continued to take pictures.

* * *

Mitch sat back in the chair and played Tiny Wings, trying desperately to beat his ridiculously high score. A phone call interrupted his groove and he threw his head back with a groan. _Fucking Karen. _He swiped his thumb across the screen and answered the call.

"What?"

"_Ew, you're rude._"

Mitchell chuckled. "You messed up my game. What's up?"

He could practically hear Karen smile. "_The files are gone. So are the trash bags Quinn brought in yesterday."_

"Wow," he said, biting his lip to keep in his grin, "That's funny."

"_My reaction exactly. Anyway, I'm on my way back. I'll see you soon."_

"Bye," he hung up and chuckled, forgetting about his game. He looked up to find Tim looking curiously at him. He smiled at him.

"She found her credit card in the exam room."

* * *

**January 1, 2012**

Quinn was very pleasantly _drunk_. She had played three straight games of beer pong before retiring as reining champs with Rachel. The diva was surprisingly a fantastic shot and only got better the drunker she got. Although she shouldn't have expected any less; Rachel's nothing if not efficient in everything she tried. They had danced together in the middle of the gyrating bodies in the living room that resulted in a run to Puck's bedroom for a quickie.

Or a couple of quickies.

They stumbled down the stairs and ran into Santana and Brittany walking around the corner. Santana smirked at their slightly disheveled appearance.

"Dirty girls," she teased, wiggling her eyebrows. Brittany beamed happily at them, her shirt half unbuttoned and revealing her bra.

Quinn rolled her eyes and Rachel giggled. The brunette leaned forward to whisper in Quinn's ear.

"Let's go outside."

Quinn nodded, motioned for Santana and Brittany to follow them and grabbed Rachel's hand to pull her through the crowd to the backyard. When the fresh air hit their faces they each let out a sigh of relief. Brittany, however, frowned.

"Hey!" she called to someone behind them, "Hey, you leave her alone!"

The other three furrowed their eyebrows and turned to look. They all sobered considerably.

By a large tree in the backyard, partially hidden by shadows was Amy being blatantly molested by some nameless hockey player. Her face was etched in fear as she tried to push the groping hands off of her body, tears streaming down her face.

"Let go of me! Fuck, _let go!"_

"Come on, baby, let me show you what you're missing," the boy slurred as he placed kisses along her jaw.

Santana started walking forward, Quinn not very far behind her. "Hey fuck off, asshole! I'll fuckin – "

"_Hey!"_

They all stopped short at the voice and Abigail flew by them, ramming the hockey player off of her girlfriend. He fell to the ground and she was on him in an instant, wailing him with punches aimed directly at his face. The hockey player yelled in pain and tried take cover behind his arms, but Abigail didn't look as if she was going to let up any time soon. He was able to throw Abigail off, but she rolled to her feet and would've jumped on him again if Quinn didn't catch her around the waist.

"_Don't you _ever_ fucking touch her!" _Abigail shouted at the boy, struggling so hard against Quinn's hold that Rachel had to help hold her back. "_I swear to God, I will break every fucking bone in your body if you so much as _look_ at her again!"_

The boy's face was already starting to swell and his lips and nose were bleeding. He touched his face and scowled at Abigail.

"What the fuck is your problem?"

Santana stepped forward and pushed the boy backwards. "Fuck you, ass clown. You have no right asking that question when you were forcing your ugly ass on a girl half your fucking size!"

The hockey player slapped the hand the poked him in the chest. "Mind your fucking business, Lopez. I would've fucked that pussy if it wasn't for that crazy fucking _bitch!"_

Quinn spun around on her heel, her eyes flashing dangerously. She stalked towards him, intent on ripping his fucking face off.

"You watch your fucking mouth," she sneered, her hands clenched in a fist.

Rachel grabbed her wrist to hold her back and fortunately didn't have to wait for help for too long as Noah, Sam and Mike came rushing outside.

"What the fuck is going on?" Puck called out stomping forward and stepping in between Santana and the hockey player.

"This asshole was trying to rape Amy and Abigail kicked his ass," Santana informed him angrily, spitting at the boy.

Puck growled, his face contorting in rage, and he pushed the boy back towards the gate. "Get out."

The hockey player looked confused. "Dude – "

Puck punched him in the jaw and he fell to the ground. Mike and Sam bent down to grab his arms and literally threw him out of the backyard.

Quinn kept her eyes trained on the gate even after it was closed, her body still shaking. Rachel grabbed her cheek and forced hazel eyes to connect with brown. Quinn leaned their foreheads together and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. A soft kiss was placed on her lips and she let it soothe her. A hand on her shoulder made her turn around. Puck smiled at her.

"You okay?"

Quinn nodded and looked over at Santana and Brittany who were in a similar position as them. Abigail, however, had Amy wrapped in a tight hug as she cried into her shirt. Abigail whispered comforting words into the raven hair, her hands bruised and bloody as they rubbed her back. Quinn turned back to Puck.

"I think we're going to go," she said quietly. She looked down at Rachel and the brunette nodded her consent.

Puck nodded in understanding. They shared grateful hugs with Puck, Sam, Mike, Santana and Brittany before having the boys walk them outside just in case the hockey player didn't leave. Quinn and Rachel let Abigail and Amy walk a few paces in front of them so Quinn could have the comfort of keeping an eye on her. That fierce, protectiveness for her sister hadn't been felt in a long time and it brought back haunting memories.

Not the best way to start the New Year.

Rachel laid her head on Quinn's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her waist.

"Are you okay?" Rachel whispered.

Quinn sighed and nodded.

"If that were you in Amy's place Rach, I would've burned his nuts off."

"I supposed I should say 'thank you'," Rachel chuckled and kissed her shoulder. Her eyes drifted back to the two girls. "I've never seen Abigail like that."

Quinn shook her head.

"It's never gone to that extent. She's never thrown punches, but given the circumstances I don't blame her."

"It was really scary," Rachel whispered.

"It was for someone she loved," Quinn whispered as she watched Amy and Abigail disappear in a flurry of snow. She looked down into Rachel's eyes and stopped them from walking. There was no point. She wrapped Rachel in a loose hug. The brunette looked up at her and smiled softly. They leaned in for a kiss, letting the snow lift back up into the sky around them. They pulled apart and Quinn reached up caress Rachel's cheek, to feel the warm contact against her palm as everything disappeared.

"I'll always protect you, Rachel," her voice was like an echo in the wind, "even if I won't remember why."

* * *

_Kurt walked into his apartment, texting Vince with a soft smile on his face. His foot kicked something on the floor and he looked down confused. A couple of small boxes filled to the brim were at his feet and he could tell right away exactly what those objects were. He looked up to find Rachel staring out of the window, her arms crossed over her chest. _

"_Rach?" he called over softly. _

_Rachel turned her head to glance briefly over at him and Kurt had to resist the urge to look away. She hadn't slept in what seemed like days; Kurt could hear her crying softly every night with intermittent broken sobs of 'Quinn'. She looked like, for a lack of a kinder description, absolute death. She didn't speak to anybody; only communicating with small nods and shakes of her head. She hardly looked people in the eyes because she was always focused on her feet. At rehearsals, though, she would lose herself in her character and it was the happiest he's seen her in weeks. _

_But in the end, it wasn't real. She was lost in her grief and Kurt was heartbroken that whatever he tried never put that bright smile back on her face. _

"_Kurt," she whispered so quietly, Kurt took a couple of steps forward. "Please . . . please get rid of those."_

_Kurt frowned and looked down at the boxes. He shook his head. "Rachel I – "_

"_Please, Kurt," she turned around to face him, tears falling slowly down her cheeks. "I can't – I just can't. P-please."_

_Kurt bit his lip. He couldn't do it. It was wrong, absolutely wrong. They were meant to be together. It was one of the only things he's ever been 100% sure of in his entire life. She cannot get rid of Quinn, it is physically impossible._

_They were soul mates. _

_He sighed and bent down to pick up the boxes. _

"_Of course, Rachel."_

_He walked to his room and right before the door closed he heard a soft 'thank you'._

Kurt dragged the two boxes out of his closet and set them by his bed. He stared down at the pictures of the two of them that lay on top of the pile on one of the boxes. Pure happiness. He walked over to his drawer and pulled out the roll of masking tape. He closed the lids and taped them shut. Then he grinned.

On top of both of them, in a black marker, he wrote:

**For Rachel.**

* * *

**A/N: A cow's opinion = "A moo point" . . . it's a FRIENDS reference. If you don't get it, then it's okay because Quinn doesn't get it either. **

**Songs: **

**The song they sing in A League of Their Own (Brilliant movie)**

**You and I by Ingrid Michaelson **


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Oh, F word. It's already half way through December, and I'm still only half way through 2011. But I did get a 3.75 GPA for my first quarter at a University, so yay on me. There are four more chapters after this until the end. Long chapters like this. I don't know if I'm going to finish this story before the end of the year. But we'll see. It'll be done soon. Anyway, let's move on. **

**onthedl-**

**Okay, I don't really follow tumblr. But I do creep on this one. Why? Because onthedl- is the creater of that lovely trailer for this fic (and I'm pimping out her tumblr because I didn't do it last time). And I'm fans of people that are fans of me (and that means all of you). This is one of the places where I find faberry gifs/pics or hilarious FRIENDS gifs or where I find out what happened on Glee. Confession: I don't actually watch the show. I've only seen a few episodes. I do skim the recap on afterellen though. **

**I mean, Heather Hogan (from afterellen) said it best: How do you get the most out of Glee? Fan fiction. **

**Read. Ponder. Enjoy.**

* * *

**December 25, 2011**

It was a combination of the vibration of her phone and Jinx that woke Quinn up. She groaned and opened an eye, squinting against the sun, and smiled as she watched Jinx _meow _and nudge the device with her nose. She reached over the cat to grab her phone and opened up the text.

_Wake up._

Quinn gave a tired sort of chuckle and turned around to open up her laptop that was on what was usually, when she was here, Rachel's pillow. Within seconds, the diva was skyping her. She accepted the call and sighed happily at the image of her girlfriend in her own bed, already dressed for the day.

"Hello, beautiful."

Rachel smiled. "Merry Christmas, baby_."_

Quinn grinned and snuggled further into her covers.

"Merry Christmas," she mumbled happily as she wrapped an arm around her cat and pulled her away from the screen where she was pawing at Rachel. The brunette giggled and waved at the small animal.

"Goodmorning_, _Jinxie_."_

_Meow, meow, meow. _Quinn rolled her eyes and covered Jinx's face with her hand. "Shush, Jinx. Let me talk to my woman."

Jinx struggled briefly before resigning to cuddle into her side. Rachel narrowed her eyes playfully.

"Don't be rough with her."

The blonde grinned. "I'm sorry, dear."

"Mmm, I love it when you apologize to me," she smirked. Quinn shook her head with a small laugh. "So when can I see you today?"

The soccer player closed her eyes and nuzzled her nose into her pillow, smelling the faint traces of Rachel on it. "Well, I have plans with my – "

"_Rudolph , the red nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose. And if you ever saw him, you would even say it glows. All of the other reinde –"_

"Abigail! Shut the _fuck _up!"

"Nora, don't curse at your sister! It's _Christmas_!"

"It's eight in the _morning!"_

"Merry Christmas, Nora-doodle! I love you!"

". . . I love you too, goofball."

Quinn stared over at her bedroom door. "With my fantastically normal family during the day."

Rachel giggled. "I love waking up to your sisters' silliness."

"I love waking up to you more" Quinn grinned lazily and Rachel blew her a kiss. "Can I see you tonight, baby?"

The brunette smiled and nodded. "You will. After my fathers and I spend a little quality family time together, they will be setting off to Columbus for some Dad and Daddy alone time, leaving me to fend for myself for the weekend. We've already given each other the Hanukah presents for the next two days and they're going to be back for the last day. However, this year they have decided that I can't stay in the house by myself, so they spoke to Judy and she has allowed me to stay with you until they get back."

"Really? That sounds fantastic," Quinn beamed at that and sat up a little against the headboard. Then she pouted. "Wait, why won't they let you stay at your house alone?"

That sweet smile on the diva's face morphed into a smirk. "Because I have an insatiable girlfriend and they don't want us to christen every available surface in my house_."_

Quinn's eyes widened. "Oh God, you just made me blush," she mumbled, feeling her burning cheeks with her hands, "Please tell me they didn't say that."

"Well," Rachel giggled, "not as bluntly."

Quinn sighed with only a little bit of relief because, _God_, that's embarrassing. She scowled playfully at her girlfriend. "It's all your fault we got caught in the first place."

Rachel grinned. "It's not like we were woken up by your mother."

"We _were _woken up by my mother."

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows in adorable contemplation.

"No, I believe Abigail was the one to wake us up that morning."

"She woke us up _for _my mother."

"Oh, details details," the brunette dismissed with a wave of her hand, "So our privacy is a little breeched; we are still allowed the luxury of sleeping in the same bed."

Quinn smiled, nodding her head as her hand absently scratched behind Jinx's ear.

"If only you could keep quiet, then it wouldn't even matter if the door was open," she mumbled teasingly under her breath. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"As if that stops your wandering hands anyway."

Quinn giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "You love it."

Rachel bit her lip to try to contain her smile and she winked.

"_Rachel! Let's go, honey!"_

"Coming!" Rachel lifted her head, propped it on a bent elbow, and shouted at her door before pouting back at Quinn. "I must take my leave."

Quinn chuckled. "Tell your dads I said Merry Christmas."

"Okay," Rachel said as she sat up against her headboard, pushing back her screen so that she was still in view. Rachel bit her lip and smiled. "I love you, Quinn."

Quinn took a sharp, quiet inhale of breath and her heart stopped for a brief moment before it thumped wildly in her chest. She beamed; it never failed to amaze her how fortunate enough she was to hear those words directed to her from the mouth of Rachel Barbara Berry. A phrase the diva threw around often and easily, but never lightly.

"I love you too," she whispered. Her eyes sparkled. _Happy tears_, she thought distantly, _happiest tears I've ever cried._

Rachel stared at her so intently through the webcam, it was like she could reach out and touch her, kiss her, hold her. Then Rachel's eyes shifted down to Jinx who was tucked into Quinn's side and wiggled her fingers. "Bye, baby."

Jinx _meowed_. Quinn grinned and nudged the small cat. "Go say bye to Rachel."

Jinx swished her tail and walked over to the screen, making sure not to step on the keys because Quinn tended to scold her when she did that. She rubbed her face against the screen and the webcam, purring as Rachel giggled.

"Alright, you've had your fill," Quinn grumbled and picked up the cat. She kissed Jinx twice on the head (once for Rachel) and put her down on the floor. Then she looked back at Rachel. "I'll see you later, baby. Love you."

Rachel beamed. "Love you too."

They blew kisses to each other and Quinn took another moment to stare at her girlfriend before ending the call. She sighed and closed the laptop before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. She ran her fingers through her hair and stood up to walk out of her bedroom, Jinx on her heels. In the hallway she could hear her sisters talking in Nora's room a couple of doors down and could smell the delicious aroma of Christmas breakfast coming from the kitchen. She walked to the stairs and bent down to pick Jinx up afore descending them.

Halfway down the stairs, she stopped and closed her eyes as a small, dizzying rush went through her brain. The door bell rang and she shook her head, rocking back slightly on her heels. There was a _meow _behind her and she turned around to watch Jinx run down the stairs and past her feet. She watched her trot to the door and lift up on her hind legs to reach for the doorknob.

"I got it!" Quinn called out in a daze as she walked down the rest of the steps. She pushed Jinx gently away with her foot before opening the door.

"Merry Christmas!"

Quinn beamed and giggled at the sight of a bundled up Rachel with a couple of presents in her arms, a brown inconspicuous bag in her hands and a duffle over her shoulder. The sky was dark and starry behind her. Quinn grabbed the brown bag and the overnight bag from Rachel, throwing it over her own shoulder. She reached over and pulled the scarf down that covered the bottom of Rachel's face and leaned forward to kiss the smiling lips.

"Merry Christmas, love."

Rachel giggled softly and stepped into the warm house, shaking her adorable beanie clad head of the stray snowflakes. Jinx scampered around Rachel's feet as they walked to the living room, begging for some Berry cuddles. Luck was asleep in front of the fireplace while Amy and Abigail were cuddling on the couch by the glowing Christmas tree; Amy was dozing off on Abby's chest, her arms wrapped securely around her waist. The cheerleader stared hypnotized at the roaring fire, a piece of half eaten cake on the table in front of her. Abigail noticed them and she grinned at the presents.

"For me?" she asked excitedly, making Amy open her eyes and Luck lift up his head. The raven-haired girl smiled tiredly at the two girls.

"Merry Christmas," she murmured as she lifted up a little so her head lay next to Abby's. Luck stood up and stretched before walking over and sitting in front Rachel's legs, waiting obediently for the petting that usually came with the diva's appearance.

Rachel smiled at them while she scratched the husky behind his ears. "Merry Christmas. I got something for you guys."

She reached into her large coat pocket to give Luck a new doggie rope toy and he sniffed it curiously before grabbing it in his teeth and taking it back to his previous laying place to gnaw on it. Rachel then handed them a small present and Abigail ripped it open with a large, bright smile.

"Oh, eff yes!" Abigail squealed, _11/22/63_ by Stephen King almost glowing in all of its glory in her hands. "Thank you, Rachie-Rach. You're so swe – "

"Dibs."

Abigail's face fell.

"_Noooo_," she moaned out and pouted, looking completely devastated as Amy took the book out of her hand. "Baby, don't do this."

Amy bit her lip, but couldn't contain the amused smirk. "But I called dibs. Those are the rules."

"But I read faster."

"Well, I finish books faster because you get distracted easier," Amy teased as she moved to hold the book over her head, practically having to straddle Abigail when she tried to reach for it.

Abigail's pout became more prominent. She looked to Rachel and Quinn for help, but found none as the girls just giggled at her. She turned back to Amy and circled her arms around her girlfriend's waist, sitting up a little. "I'll trade you my cake for the book."

"You are not bribing me with your half eaten piece of cake."

"Come on, baby, take the cake," Abigail reached over and carefully picked up the cake, holding it up to Amy's mouth. "Eat the cake, Anna Mae."

Amy backed her head away and narrowed her eyes playfully. "Don't start with that."

"It's damn good cake," Abigail smirked, leaning forward a little bit more. "Eat the cake."

"I don't want the cake," Amy giggled, falling to her back and twisting her face away as the blonde hovered over her.

"Don't make me tell you again, girl. Eat the cake, Anna Mae!"

Quinn watched utterly bemused as Amy and Abigail sort of wrestled with each other, getting a little bit of cake on their faces. She leaned over to Rachel and whispered into her ear. "Look at what you started."

Rachel chuckled and shrugged. "I just wanted to see what would happen."

She reached over to Quinn and unzipped her overnight bag. She pulled out another copy of _11/22/63 _and dropped it by the girls' heads on the couch. Abigail's eyes brightened even more and she held the book to her chest with her clean hand. She turned around to lie on her back, still on top of Amy, and smiled brightly at Rachel.

"You are seriously the coolest person I've ever met," she said sincerely, taking a generous bite of her cake. Amy mouthed a relieved '_thank you' _at Rachel before smiling down at Abigail and wiping some frosting from the cheerleader's face. Abigail leaned her head back and smiled, pushed out her cheek and tapped it with her finger. Amy giggled and kissed her cheek making Abigail shimmy with giddiness. She swallowed the mouthful of cake. "We are totally racing each other."

Amy rolled her eyes. As if she expected any less. "What do you get if you win?"

Abigail smirked, held two open fingers up to her mouth, and licked the air between them.

Quinn shut her eyes and grabbed Rachel's hand to pull her away. "Come on, Rach. My innocent eyes don't need to see this."

Rachel chuckled and followed her to the kitchen, leaving the snuggling girls giggling on the couch. Judy was sitting at the island reading a magazine while eating gingerbread cookies and Nora was lying on the couch watching _Hey Arnold! _on Netflix. Judy looked up and smiled at the girls.

"Merry Christmas, Rachel," she greeted happily. Rachel beamed and gave her a hug. "Nora, greet our guest."

"Mer' Chrissmas," Nora mumbled, her eyes glued to the television screen.

Judy sucked her teeth disapprovingly and rolled her eyes. She looked back over at Rachel with a small shake of her head and the brunette giggled.

"Merry Christmas," Rachel said and reached over to grab the brown bag from Quinn. "I come with a gift from my fathers. For you and Nora. They didn't have the time to wrap it, but I'm sure that will be the least of your worries."

Judy waved her hand. "They didn't have to get me anything, period."

She opened up the bag and pulled out a bottle of wine. She turned it over in her hands and read the front of the label, her eyes widening and her jaw dropping to the counter. _Chteau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 1995. _A bottle of wine that probably cost more than Quinn wanted to know.

"Nora, honey, come look at our present," she called out to her daughter in awe. Nora paused her show and walked over to them, giving Rachel a tired smile. She looked down at the bottle and gasped. She glanced back up at Rachel and grinned.

"Oh, she's a keeper, Quinnie," she said as she walked over to the cabinet to grab a wine glass.

"No, Nora, put that away," Judy said and tried to hand back the bottle, even if a little reluctantly. "Rachel, this is far too expensive. Tell your fathers I can't accept this."

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa!_" Nora rushed over to grab the bottle and held it to her chest. "Let me take my half before you just start giving away presents and stuff."

Judy scoffed, "Nora, don't be a bra – "

Nora gasped, looking absolutely scandalized. "Don't you say it, mother."

"Judy, I will tell you now, they won't accept it back," said Rachel with a very amused smile. "You may as well enjoy it. It was from their personal collection."

Nora beamed.

"You're a doll," she leaned forward to kiss the brunette's cheek before holding up a glass to Judy. "Should I grab one for you? Yes? Okay."

"Thank you, Nora," Judy smiled at her eldest before turning back to Rachel. "How was your day, dear?"

"Honestly, it was nothing short of magical, Judy. How about yours?"

Judy grinned. "My daughters always keep my Christmas interesting."

"I'm sure they do," Rachel winked at Quinn, giving her a small nudge with her elbow.

"She's not talking about me," Quinn said with a sweet smile, "I'm the normal one and she loves me."

"Ha."

Quinn glared at Nora who smirked at her from behind a glass of wine.

Judy chuckled. "All of my daughters are crazy."

"Maybe a little bit," Quinn smirked and grabbed Rachel's hand, pulling her towards the stairs. "As long as we can all agree that Abigail is the craziest."

Nora held out her hand and Quinn gave her a high five as they passed her. Rachel giggled and waved a quick goodbye before they left the kitchen. They walked up the stairs to Quinn's room and the blonde dropped Rachel's bag by her bed. She flicked on the bedside lamp.

"I think my family loves you more than me."

Rachel chuckled and wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist from behind. She placed a small kiss on the back of her shoulder.

"Well, they don't love you like I do."

Quinn smiled and turned around in the embrace. She took the beanie off of Rachel's head and raked her fingers through the brown hair. She whispered an 'I love you' against her lips before kissing her softly. They both smiled into the kiss, their bodies melting into each other. Quinn pulled away when she felt the present in Rachel's hand digging into her back. She reached behind her and grabbed it, stepping away slightly to hold it between them.

"Is this for me?"

Rachel beamed and nodded, bending down to pick up Jinx who had been circling her feet for attention ever since she entered the house. Quinn smiled as she watched Rachel reach into her coat pocket and pull out a small mouse toy. She held it up to Jinx who _grabbed_ it from her hand and purred. Quinn chuckled.

"You spoil her."

Rachel shrugged as she kissed the top of the cats head. "I spoil you, too. I don't hear you complaining."

"Yes, well, _I'm_ your girlfriend. You're not dating my pussy," Quinn paused in her meticulous unwrapping of her present to wiggle her eyebrows and smirk at her girlfriend, "cat."

"So vulgar," Rachel chastised softly with a light slap to Quinn's stomach, but her eyes were nervous. She gently bit on her bottom lip as she waited.

Quinn pulled the wrapper down, letting it fall to the floor, and gasped. It was a brown faux leather sketchbook with an obscure sketch of Rachel that Quinn drew a year ago embossed on the cover. She ran her finger along the image and flipped through the blank, thick paper, letting out a watery laugh. It was _beautiful_. She loved this sketchbook so much she was able to finish it within the year. Most of the images were of Rachel. The rest were inspired by her.

On the inside cover, the usually verbose woman simply wrote: _I love you _ – _Rachel Berry. _A gold star sticker at the end.

She looked back up at Rachel, holding the sketchbook close to her chest. She reached over and grabbed the brunette's hand to pull her closer. She gently picked up Jinx, who had a mouth full of the toy mouse, from Rachel and set her on the floor before wrapping the brunette up in her arms. Rachel smiled shyly.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it, baby, thank you," Quinn whispered, placing a small kiss on the tip of Rachel's nose. "It's perfect. Just like you."

Rachel smiled. That kind of shy, happy, relieved smile that was Quinn's favorite. They leaned in for a kiss, or two, or three before the blonde pulled away.

"I have something for you, too."

Quinn led Rachel to sit on her bed before walking to her desk. She set down the sketchbook with care and picked up a small satin pouch. She poured the contents, a couple of engraved silver rings, into the palm of her hand and smiled softly. They were simple. Subtle romance.

Her specialty.

She walked back over to Rachel and stood between her legs.

"Open your hand."

Rachel complied and Quinn dropped one of the rings onto the middle of her palm. The diva ran her finger along the words on the outside. _Just like an angel off the page. _The tears welled up in her eyes.

"Quinn – "

"Look on the inside."

Rachel tilted the ring to see the small engraving on the inside of the ring.

_Q.F._

She shook her head, letting the tears roll down her cheeks, and smiled brightly.

"This is beautiful, baby," she whispered, looking up into the shining hazel eyes. "I love it."

Quinn beamed and opened up her hand to show her her ring. Rachel picked it up and grinned at the lyric. _Just like a star across my sky. _And on the inside: _R.B, _with a small star at the end. She looked back up at the blonde.

"Can I put it on you?"

The blonde nodded her head vigorously. She watched Rachel grab her left hand and poise the ring over her wedding finger. Quinn gasped silently, her eyes shooting to the brown orbs that were watching her intently. Originally, they put the rings on their right middle fingers; it felt safer in the early stages of their relationship. The ring finger was so final, so eternal. And when Rachel slipped the silver band onto her finger, she let out a relieved breath. It was a symbol.

They _are _forever. Even if it's just in her imagination.

She grabbed Rachel's ring and slipped it onto her wedding finger. She trailed her hand up the brunette's arm and cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears with her thumb. Rachel leaned her face further into the caressing touches.

"You spoil me."

Quinn chucked.

"Yes, well," she reached up to fiddle with the pendant that hung against Rachel's chest, "you're my star."

Rachel beamed at her and began to scoot back on the bed towards the headboard, pulling Quinn with her until they were both lying down. Quinn hovered over her, her forearms by the brunette's head, their legs a tangled mess. They whispered their 'I love you's against each other's lips before meeting in a slow kiss. Quinn pulled away slightly, her lips brushing against Rachel's with every breath that they took, and looked into those dark, aroused eyes. She glanced quickly at her open door; the chance of anyone coming up stairs at this time was slim. She smirked down at her girlfriend.

"Do you think you can keep quiet?"

Rachel matched her smirk.

"Turn off the light."

Quinn reached over to the lamp and blanketed them in darkness.

Other than the quiet gasps, whispered proclamations of love and barely there moans, they were as quiet as a mouse.

* * *

Karen walked into Quinn's apartment with a smile on her face. Mitchell walked out of the bedroom and sighed.

"It's only Karen," he called back into the bedroom.

"Hi, Karen!" Tim shouted.

"Hey, Tim," Karen greeted back, before scowling at her brother. "Whoa. Please, calm your excitement."

Mitchell chuckled and stuck his head back into the bedroom. "Hey, Tim, we're going to go out for a smoke. Are you good in here?"

"Yeah, yup," he said distractedly, clicking away on the computer. "Have fun."

Mitch grinned and grabbed his sister's arm, pulling her with him out of the apartment.

* * *

**December 18, 2011**

Quinn lied down on Rachel's bed, letting the brunette cuddle into her side. She buried her nose into Rachel's hair, wrapping her arms around her waist. She smiled at the soft kiss that was placed on her collarbone.

"Did you enjoy your birthday, baby?"

Rachel giggled, nodding against the blonde's chest.

"It was perfect," she whispered. She lifted on her elbows and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind Quinn's ear. "You didn't have to do all of that though."

Quinn chuckled with a roll of her eyes. Really, she didn't do much. She took Rachel to the new restaurant just outside of town and they took a walk to look at the Christmas lights before going back to the Berries to watch _Funny Girl _and cuddle. And a little bit of birthday sex when Rachel's fathers stepped out of the house for a half an hour. _Then _cuddle.

"Actually, I have something else for you."

Quinn slid off the bed and walked over to her duffle bag to grab the small, golden, rectangular jewelry box. Rachel's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"Quinn, you didn't . . ."

"Oh, but I did," Quinn smirked as she crawled back on top of the bed. She handed over the gift before wrapping her arms around Rachel's waist and laying her head on her shoulder. "And I'm not taking it back either, so you better like it."

Rachel nudged her with her elbow causing Quinn to giggle. She opened up the box slowly and gasp, her hand shooting to cover her mouth. It was a thin gold chain with a star pendant. It shouted Rachel Berry. Quinn smiled as she watched Rachel trace her finger the points of the star.

"They're kind of your thing, right?"

Rachel chuckled, her eyes shining brightly, and nodded. She pulled the necklace out of the box and held it up.

"Put it on me?"

Quinn grabbed the necklace from her, letting their fingers brush together. Rachel held her hair up and Quinn delicately clasped it around her neck, placing a small kiss between her shoulder blades and smirking at the shivers that coursed through her girlfriend's body. Rachel picked at Quinn's jeans with a pout as it rubbed against her bare legs.

"Put on your pajamas."

Quinn frowned. "But that means I have to move."

Rachel just ignored her and nudged her off of the bed. With a huff, Quinn walked over to the bedroom door and pushed it closed as she began to unbutton her pants. She turned around as she pushed her jeans down her hips and smirked over her shoulder at the quiet moan that sounded from the diva. Rachel's eyes were _glued _to her ass so she bent down to pull the clothing off of her legs and giggled.

"I should get paid for this little show that I'm giving you," she whispered huskily. Rachel smiled.

"It's my birthday. You should've done this anyway, without my prompting," Rachel said as she leaned back against her headboard, getting comfortable. "Please, continue."

Quinn chuckled and reached into her overnight bag to pull out her flannel pajama pants (because she can't wear close to nothing in freezing weather like Rachel can) and slipped them on. Then she walked over to the side of the bed and fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"Can you help me?"

Rachel bit her lip and rose up on her knees. Her fingers traced lightly up Quinn's abs as she lifted the shirt up and threw the clothing across the room. She popped open the blonde's bra and took it off, placing small kisses and nips along her chest. Quinn ran her fingers through Rachel's and gripped the strands when a warm mouth covered her nipple. She guided Rachel's head up to capture her lips in a searing kiss and didn't pull away until they were absolutely breathless. She lightly tapped Rachel's cheek with her hand.

"Are you trying to get us in trouble?"

Rachel smirked softly. She shrugged.

"My fathers might understand. It _is _my birthday."

Quinn chuckled and placed one last kiss on Rachel's lips before leaning down to grab her shirt. She slipped it on, opened the bedroom door and climbed back on the bed to cuddle into Rachel. The brunette's hands immediately crept under her shirt to splay on her back as she tucked her head under Quinn's chin.

"Baby?" Rachel whispered against her skin.

"Hmm?"

There was a small pause and Quinn looked down at the head of hair, rubbing soothing circles on Rachel's back.

"Are you going to prom this year?"

Quinn's body tensed and her hands froze in place. She had forgotten about prom. She was far too preoccupied with other things, like college and her relationship. And now, the thought of prom brought up uncomfortable feelings.

"Do you want to go?"

Rachel paused again before nodding.

"Yes," she whispered. She lifted up on her elbows to hover over Quinn, raking her fingers through the short blonde hair. "But if you don't want to go, then I don't want to go either. You know I don't mind staying in."

Quinn bit her lip as she stared into vulnerable brown eyes. She knew Rachel _really_ wanted to go to prom. And she still felt bad that _she _was the reason Rachel missed her junior prom. The diva was really understanding. Prom brought back a lot of memories that she had tried hard to forget (the natural way). But, honestly, what harm would it really do to go to her senior prom with the woman she loved? She's had a year to slowly fix her mistakes and herself.

Besides, Rachel _really _wanted to go. When could she have ever denied her anything?

Before Quinn could come up with an answer, Rachel leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "You don't have to answer now. Just – c-can you think about it?"

Quinn gave her a small smile and nodded. "Of course, Rach. I'll think about it."

Rachel smiled and kissed her softly before cuddling back up to her with her head in the crook of her neck. Quinn closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around the petite body, slipping her hands underneath Rachel's shirt to satisfy the need for skin on skin contact. They would fall asleep like this. With the light on and the covers kicked to the foot of the bed. Later, one of Rachel's dads would come in to shut off the light and put the blankets over them to keep them warm, but for now they depended solely on each other for a comfortable good night's sleep.

"Quinn?"

"Yeah?"

She could feel Rachel's smile against her neck.

"I'm really happy you went to prom with me."

Quinn chuckled and placed a kiss on top of her head.

"I'm really happy I went to prom with you, too."

* * *

"So, I assume we've come to a similar conclusion about the events of tonight."

Karen chuckled and took the cigarette offered to her. "I just need to do one thing, and I will be absolutely positive."

Mitchell lit both of their cigarettes and huddled around Karen's phone as she pulled up her facebook. She went to Tina's profile and searched through her friends. Both Quinn _and _Rachel were listed.

"Just as I thought," Karen murmured as she looked through some of Tina's pictures. "Oh, look, she went to _high school _with them."

Mitchell blew out a few smoke rings and twirled his lighter between his fingers.

"She's going to try and get them back together."

Karen nodded as she pocketed her phone and leaned against the apartment building.

"Should we tell Tim?"

* * *

**November 24, 2011**

At first, Quinn was a little bit nervous about the big Thanksgiving get together at her house. Rachel's dads _and _Amy's parents came over. They all had a big, wonderful dinner with jokes and easy conversation. Then the parents started sharing "funny" stories about their children with each other over some glasses of wine, and Amy and Abigail decided to take Luck on a walk that they had yet to come back from.

At the end of the day, Quinn had no idea why she was nervous at all. It was one of the best Thanksgivings she's ever had.

Rachel and Quinn took their cups of tea and a blanket to the front porch for a little bit of alone time and was greeted by the smell of cigarettes. They turned their heads to find Nora smoking in one of the chairs on the other side of the porch, grinning at them with her cell phone tucked between her shoulder and her ear.

"Hello, lovelies," she chirped at them. Then she rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not talking to you, loser. My sister and her girlfriend just infiltrated my peace and quiet."

They smiled sweetly at her and cuddled up on the rocking loveseat, wrapping the large blanket around them.

"Hi, Jason."

"Quinn says hi."

Rachel laid her head on Quinn's shoulder and sipped her tea. "Who's Jason?"

Quinn smirked. "Nora's boyfriend."

The older Fabray glared at her and flicked her ashes in their direction before going back to her conversation.

"Alright. Yeah, I'll talk to you later. Bye." She hung up and crushed her cigarette in the ashtray. "You better stop spreading those lies, little sister. He is _not _my boyfriend."

Quinn chuckled and leaned down to whisper into Rachel's ear. "She _wishes _he was her boyfriend."

Nora pouted at her. "I really do, though. Oh my God, Rachel, you'd love him."

Rachel smiled. "Really?"

"He could be your brother," she said seriously.

Quinn nodded. "He loves Broadway, he's an actor, and is completely adorable."

"Aww!" Rachel cooed. "I love him already! You should ask him out."

"I will," Nora said confidently as she popped a mint into her mouth. "I just need to make sure I won't scare him off with my secret dorkiness."

"He totally likes you, just do it," Quinn said exasperated. "Your dorkiness is not that much worse than mine. And it's not as bad as Abigail's."

Nora chuckled. "You know, I think Abigail is your dork and my dork put together to create the ultimate dork."

"And she _still_ got the girl she wanted," Quinn said and laced her fingers with Rachel's. "And despite my dorkiness, I got the girl I wanted, too."

"I love Quinn's dorky side," Rachel grinned up at the soccer player and brushed their lips together in a series of small, loving kisses.

"Ugh, you guys make me sick," Nora grumbled as she stood up from her seat. "I'm going inside so don't follow me this time."

The girls giggled at her as she walked through the front door. Quinn smiled at her sister's retreating form; Nora did ask him out when she got back to California and they had been together ever since. She was happy for her. Nora found her Rachel. And kept him. Maybe she was a little jealous of her.

But then Rachel leaned back into her and placed a soft kiss on her neck before going back to sipping her tea, and Quinn immediately felt better. She placed a kiss on top of Rachel's head with a smile.

"I love you, baby," she whispered.

Rachel's body stiffened and Quinn began to worry that she said something _wrong. _Just the thought of it made her heart sink. She leaned back to see Rachel's face, only to find her staring off towards the sidewalk. She turned her head and literally growled. She stood up, placed her cup on the flat railing of her porch and stomped down the walk.

"What the _fuck _are you doing here?" she kept her voice low and dangerous, balling up her fist at her sides.

Finn held up his hands and took a step back as the blonde continued to advance. "Quinn, look – "

"I swear to _God, _Finn, if you came here to try and win Rachel back _again, _I'll– "

"Quinn."

A hand closed gently around her wrist and the calm voice the whispered into her ear caused her body to relax only slightly and she closed her mouth. She laced their fingers together and made sure that Rachel was standing behind her. She watched Finn drop his eyes to the ground and sighed.

"What do you want, Finn?" Quinn asked as evenly as she could muster. Behind him, standing on the sidewalk just out of ear shot, was Kurt watching the scene carefully.

The tall boy shuffled his feet before taking a deep breath and looking up into both of the girls' eyes.

"I came here to apologize."

Quinn arched an eyebrow. Suffice it to say, she didn't believe him for a second. She glanced behind her shoulder at Rachel and could tell that she doubted his sincerity as well. Her eyes met hers briefly before looking back up at Finn.

"Why?" Rachel asked quietly.

Finn looked at her and frowned. "I still really like you, Rach."

Quinn growled again and Rachel placed a comforting hand on her lower back. Finn stared at their hands and shook his head sadly.

"I just want you to be happy."

"Quinn makes me the happiest I've ever been in my life." Not a moment of hesitation.

Finn glanced at Quinn's cold glare for a minute, then nodded his head. For the first time ever, his eyes that were usually clouded in confusion were as clear as day.

"I know," he said quietly, "You were never this happy when you were with me."

He finally looked away from their bewildered stares and brought a hand to swipe quickly under his eyes.

"You smile more."

Quinn felt Rachel squeeze her hand and she hated that even _she _was feeling a tiny bit of sympathy for the boy. The petite diva stepped closer, the front of her body pressed against Quinn's arm. Finn looked back up at them, his eyes moist.

"I'm sorry for being a jerk. And I'm sorry for trying to ruin your relationship." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, looking tired and defeated. "I hope we can be friends again someday."

Quinn pursed her lips and glanced at Rachel. Rachel looked over at her and gave her a small reassuring smile. She stepped in front of her, keeping Quinn's hand in her own, and looked up at Finn, waiting for his eyes to meet hers before she spoke.

"You really hurt me, Finn," she whispered. "I trusted you so much. You betrayed me and _used _me. Then you disregarded my wishes for space, you disrespected my girlfriend and you _violently_ put your hands on her. I'm still very angry with you and I _will_ be very angry with you for a long while."

Finn looked down at his feet and nodded, turning to walk away. Rachel reached out and grabbed his arm. He looked down at her.

"I love Quinn now, Finn. And I will love her for a very long time," she spoke confidently, feeling Quinn press up slightly against her back. Her eyes stayed on Finn's while her hand squeezed Quinn's tightly. "You deserve to be with someone who can make you as happy as she makes me. I am incapable of doing that."

Finn smiled sadly at her and looked at Quinn, noticing that she didn't look half as threatening as before. He nodded at her and stepped away from them, letting Rachel's hand fall from his arm. "I wish you guys the best of luck," he croaked out.

Quinn nodded back at him and Rachel smiled her thanks.

"I hope we can friends again someday as well, Finn," she said quietly. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Happy Thanksgiving," he whispered at them before turning on his heel and walking away, not bothering to wait for Kurt. Kurt watched him leave before making his way over to the girls who were cuddled together for warmth.

"I expected fighting."

They smiled at him, Quinn's arm comfortably around Rachel's shoulders. The diva leveled him with a suspicious stare.

"Did you put him up to that?"

Kurt held up his hands innocently.

"I swear coming here was all Finn's idea. I simply gave him a firm talking to and I only tagged along to make sure he wasn't going to do something completely moronic," then he narrowed his eyes, "He didn't _say _anything completely moronic, did he?"

The girls shook their heads.

"He was actually very understanding," Rachel said as she slipped her cold hand under Quinn's sweater making her shiver.

"Really?" Kurt seemed surprised. "I didn't know he was capable of that."

Quinn and Kurt shared a chuckle and Rachel just rolled her eyes.

"That's not nice," she chided with a small reluctant smile.

Kurt shrugged. "He just makes it easy."

Quinn smirked while Rachel shook her head at them.

"Anyway, I should probably head back, ladies," he leaned forward and wrapped them both in a hug. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Happy Thanksgiving, Kurt," they said and they placed a kiss on each of his cheeks. They waved at him as he began the walk back to his house and they watched him from the walk to Quinn's house until he disappeared. Quinn wrapped her arm securely around Rachel's waist, lying her head on top of the bed of brown hair.

"You make me the happiest I've ever been in my life, too."

Rachel looked up at her and smiled. She leaned up on her toes and pressed a kiss to her lips, warming her body all the way to her toes. A whispered 'I love you' brushed against Quinn's lips before she was being pulled back to the rocking love chair where their tea and a fuzzy blanket was waiting for them.

* * *

_Kurt knocked on the apartment door and waited nervously. He wished Vince was with him, but Kurt just asked him to meet them here with his car. He was worried the artist's presence would be too much of a reminder of Quinn. He was very understanding. Andrea had been giving him daily updates on Rachel for the week that she had been crashing here and it was not comforting in the slightest. The door opened and a tall brunette with worried blue eyes breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him. _

"_God, Kurt," she breathed out and pulled him into a hug. "I don't know what to do. This isn't like Rachel at all."_

_Kurt looked beyond Andrea to see Rachel sitting on the couch with a blanket over her shoulders staring into space. Andrea turned around to look at the quiet diva, scratching nervously at the back of her neck. _

"_She's not eating. Adam and I tried to cook her something to eat, you know how he's vegan too, but she refuses every time. She just sits there or stays in bed and showers and goes to school or work and that's it. And at rehearsals she doesn't talk to _anybody _unless it asks for it in the script," she informed him in a whisper which probably wasn't necessary because it seemed that Rachel didn't even know he was there. "I'm pretty sure she hasn't been sleeping either. I'm really worried about her, Kurt, I feel so fucking useless."_

_Kurt placed a comforting hand on her back because he understood. He was already preparing to feel fucking useless as well. He walked over to the couch and stood in front of Rachel, furrowing his eyebrow when Rachel just looked straight through him. He kneeled down on the carpet to look into her eyes. He gave her a small smile. _

"_Hi, honey."_

_No answer. He frowned and gently tucked a strand of unkempt behind her ear._

"_My roommate just moved out. You're going to come live with me now, okay?" he whispered, feeling a small surge of victory when he saw her eyes shifting between his. Rachel's lip quivered violently and tears fell out of her eyes like a switch had been turned on, but she gave a slight nod. He gave her a reassuring small and pulled her into a hug, shutting his eyes when Rachel gripped the back of his shirt desperately. He placed a kiss to the side of her head and whispered softly into her hair, "I'm going to help you through this."_

_He almost smiled when Rachel whispered a broken, "Okay."_

_He pulled away and wiped away her tears gently with his hand. He leaned forward and kissing her forehead before standing up. He nodded at Andrea and she walked towards Rachel's bedroom. _

"_We'll get your things, Rach," he told her quietly and waited for her to nod before he went to her room. He opened the door and stopped short as he stared._

_She never unpacked anything. _

* * *

**October 21, 2011**

Quinn bit down lightly on the crook of Rachel's neck as a powerful orgasm rocketed through her body. Nails scratched down her back as their bodies shook together and she captured Rachel's lips in a sloppy kiss to muffle her moans and whimpers. They pulled apart to catch their breath and Quinn flopped down on her back next to Rachel, her limbs like lead. Rachel immediately turned on her side and cuddled into her, her breath ticking her neck. She nudged Rachel weakly with her elbow.

"Don't fall asleep," she mumbled, her eyelids feeling heavy.

"Mmm," Rachel moaned in protest and grabbed the arm that was pushing her and wrapped it around her waist instead, "You wore me out, baby."

Quinn managed to look smug in her exhaustion. She tamed the Energizer Bunny. For about four straight hours. She hugged Rachel's warm naked body to her and fought against the tempting lure of sleep.

"We have to get dressed," her words started to slur together. When she tried to move to get them some pajamas, Rachel practically growled and tightened her hold on Quinn. The blonde sighed and leaned her head against Rachel's. "We're going to get in trouble."

Rachel smiled and raised her hand to cover Quinn's mouth. The chest beneath her head shook as the artist chuckled and a kiss was placed to her palm. When Rachel's hand dropped from her face, she buried it into that tangle of brown hair.

"I love you."

A kiss to her chest. "I love you, too."

They fell asleep with smiles on their faces only to immediately be woken up by three sharp barks right by their heads. Rachel buried her face into Quinn's shoulder and groaned. Quinn blinked her eyes open and stared at a happy Luck blankly before looking up at Abigail who had her hand over her eyes. Quinn sat up a little and pulled up the sheet to cover their bodies, glaring at her sister.

"Abigail, what the hell?" she scolded, her voice still laced with sleep. "You don't knock?"

Abigail peeked through her fingers and dropped her hand from her face when she saw that they were covered by the comforter. She grinned at them.

"Someone must've been very busy last night because I _did _knock," she chuckled and scratched behind Luck's ears. "I'm sure mom knocked as well."

_That _woke her up. She sat up a little straighter, clutching the sheet to her chest, and Rachel turned around to stare wide eyed at Abigail. Quinn shook her head slowly.

"What are you talking about?" she asked hesitantly, already knowing the answer, but grasping at the invisible straws.

Abigail smirked almost evilly. "Mother dearest would like to have a word with you two. After you get dressed, of course."

Rachel covered her face, mumbling 'ohgodohgodohgod' under her breath and Quinn rubbed her forehead, feeling her face heat up. Well, _fuck_. This morning was going to be absolutely mortifying. Abigail giggled and turned to leave the two girls.

"Be sure to tell me what happened, yeah? Thanks, babies. Love ya!" And then she skipped out of the room closing the door behind her.

Rachel dropped her hands from her face and sat up to face Quinn, her eyes tearing up rapidly. "I'm so sorry, Quinn."

Quinn shook her head. "Rach – "

"You were right, we should've gotten dressed last night. Oh God, she's going to kick me out of your house! I wasn't thinking about – "

Quinn cut her off with a small, calming kiss. Inside, she was freaking out. This is _not _how she wanted mom to find out about her sexual life. Fuck it, she _never _wanted her mother to find out about her sexual life. She was fine being a virgin in her eyes for the rest of her life. But, the bright side to this embarrassing day, was her mom wasn't going to do anything worse than a stern talking to. When she pulled back, she tucked a strand of hair behind Rachel's ear and smiled reassuringly at her.

"It's going to be fine. My mom _adores _you, okay?"

Rachel nodded, chewing nervously on her lower lip. Quinn kissed her again before pulling her out of bed.

"Come on, let's get this over with."

They got dressed quickly (Quinn gave Rachel some of her clothes to wear because what did it matter if her mom already caught them naked together?) but slowed down to a fucking turtle's crawl once they reached the staircase. Quinn grabbed Rachel's hand that trembled slightly and took a deep breath before descending the stairs one by one. They could smell coffee coming from the kitchen and they slowly walked over until they stood in the doorway, Rachel standing slightly behind Quinn and holding her hand in a death grip.

Judy was sitting at the island ready the morning paper when she looked up and greeted them.

"Good morning, girls," her eyes twinkled teasingly.

Both girls blushed and mumbled their 'hellos'. Judy chuckled and put down the paper.

"We'll just get right to it," she said and took a small sip from her mug. "I called your fathers, Rachel."

Quinn paled and Rachel stiffened next to her, cutting off the blood flow to her fingers.

"And?" the brunette squeaked out.

Judy raised her cup to her mouth to hide the amused grin.

"We have decided that we will _not_ ban you girls from having your little sleepovers," she answered her easily, flipping idly through the newspaper. "You will, however, keep your doors open at all times."

Their bodies relaxed so much they practically fell to the floor. Rachel burrowed her face between Quinn's shoulder blades, a relieved laugh shaking her body. Quinn was still slightly blushing, but at least they still had their sleepovers. It had already gotten to the point where sleeping without Rachel was pretty much an impossibility. She looked at her very amused mother and smiled shyly.

"Is – is that it, mom?"

Judy looked up at them seriously, studying the two of them together. "Do you make each other happy?"

They nodded their heads vigorously and Judy smiled.

"Then, yes, that's all. Unless you would like _more _rules?"

At the whiplash-inducing shakes of their heads, Judy laughed. She shooed them out of the kitchen and they bolted up the stairs and into Quinn's room before she could change her mind. They plopped back down on Quinn's bed, folding into their previous position as the excitement of the morning began to wear off and make them tired again. They _did _have a busy fucking night last night, nudge nudge. Quinn felt Rachel grin sleepily against her neck.

"I love your mom. That wasn't bad at all."

"I told you."

They laid there in silence, a nap luring them like some siren.

"Rach?"

"Hmm?" Rachel hummed tiredly.

Quinn bit her lip. "Are – are your dads going to kill me?"

The diva chuckled before shrugging.

"Maybe."

Quinn gulped and closed her eyes, already writing up her will in her head.

* * *

"_So you got the letter?"_

_Kurt looked at Tina from over the top of his menu before dropping it to the table and folding his hands. _

"_It's not real, right?" he said, shaking his head slightly, "I mean, that – it's _impossible_."_

_Tina sighed and looked around the diner before leaning forward. _

"_Okay Kurt," she whispered and he leaned forward to hear her, "What I'm about to tell you is absolutely confidential. The only other person who knows is Mike. You have to _promise _me that you will not repeat this to _anyone_."_

"_Of course," Kurt hurriedly promised. Tina sighed. _

"_I work there."_

_Kurt gasped and sat back into his seat. He thought back to the past couple of days and gasped again, bringing a hand to his forehead. The boxes of Quinn's things. Asking Kurt to stay at Vince's tonight. He stared at Tina for a good minute before he was able to find his words._

"_Oh my God," he whispered. "You work there?"_

_Tina looked down at the table. "My uncle owns it."_

"_So, what does that mean? You're going to erase her mind?"_

_Tina looked back up at Kurt and shook her head, "No! That's not my job and besides, I didn't want her to get it in the first place and I told her so. But," she sighed and dropped her eyes again. "You saw her, Kurt. She's broken."_

_Kurt sat in disbelief, his appetite gone. "This is insane."_

_Tina just nodded. _

"_She gave me all of Quinn's things," Kurt admitted quietly. "She wanted me to get rid of them."_

_Tina looked up at him. "Did you?"_

_Kurt just sat there at first before shaking his head slowly. Tina widened her eyes. _

"_Kurt – "_

"_I'm not getting rid of them," he said firmly. "This isn't right. It isn't natural. This won't _do _anything, and we'd be foolish to think that they're not going to find their way back to each other. And when they do, they deserve to know the _truth_."_

_Tina stared at him before letting a small smile creep onto her face as she picked up her menu. _

* * *

**September 13, 2011**

Quinn left her classroom and made her way to Rachel's locker, grateful that the most boring hour and a half of her day was finally over. She smiled at a few of her teammates and waved 'hello' to them. Someone fell into step next to her, looped their arm through hers and she turned her head to smile at Brittany. Santana, who was walking with her hand clasped in Brittany's, just looked back at her bored.

"Hi, Quinn!"

Quinn chuckled.

"Hey, B. _Santana," _she said pointedly, playfully glaring at her, "it's nice to see you too."

"It's always nice to see me, Barbie," the Latina smirked and Quinn rolled her eyes, "Are you and the garden gnome sitting with us during lunch today or are you going to sneak off and fuck in the choir room again?"

"Don't call her that. And we've never fucked in the choir room."

"Yet."

Quinn blushed at the thought, and Santana laughed. They turned the corner and Quinn stopped in the middle of the hallway, her eyes narrowed into slits. Finn stood towering over Rachel with a wilting flower in his hands that he probably picked from one of the bushes around the school. Santana muttered a soft 'oh shit' next to her, but she was already stomping her way towards them. Most of the student moved out of her way and the closer she got, the more she could hear of their conversation.

"Come on, Rachel," Finn whined, "It's just a date."

"_Finn,"_ Rachel growled and slammed her locker shut. "I _do not _want to go out on a date with you. I don't _ever _want to go out on a date with you again."

She tried to walk away but he grabbed her wrist to spin her around and pulled her so she crashed into his body. Quinn literally shoved a freshman out of her way.

"Rachel, we're perfect for each other," he said bringing his face close to hers, "You are supposed to be with _me_."

Rachel ripped her arm from him and stumbled backwards into Quinn who wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. The petite brunette looked up at Quinn, but her eyes were burning into Finn's. The blonde stepped in front of Rachel and walked up to Finn until they were practically nose to nose.

"Stay away from her," she warned him quietly so only those that were close to them could hear. When school started they had decided to act naturally. And those that took the time to pay attention to them would know that they were a couple. She didn't need Finn of all people telling the rest of the school.

Finn sneered and tried to push her to the side. "This has nothing to do with you."

Quinn threw his arm off of her. "It has _everything _to do with me when you are trying to force _my _girlfriend to go out on a date with you."

"Get out of the way, Quinn," he clenches his fist. "She doesn't want to be with you."

"Fuck you," she spat at him angrily, her eyes gleaming dangerously in the light.

"Fuck _you_!" he yelled at her, drawing the attention from the people in the hallway. She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "She _belongs_ with me! We are in love! I can give her _everything_!"

"When it came to Rachel you couldn't even _give a_ _shit!" _she shouted back at him, "You couldn't even be fucking _loyal_ to her! You don't _deserve_ her. You had your fucking chance and, like an asshole, you went and blew it. Now she's with me_. I _make her happier than you ever did. _We _are in love. So leave. _My_ _girlfriend. _Alone."

He growled and shoved her with so much force that she lost her footing and fell backwards onto her ass. There was a flurry of movement as Rachel dropped down next to her and Sam and Puck rushed forward from the crowd and slammed Finn into the lockers, holding him there and they fell into a shouting match.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked quietly ash she helped her up. When Quinn nodded, a look of anger flashed across Rachel's face and she stood up and stomped towards Finn, giving him a hard resounding slap to his face. Everyone stilled in shock for a moment before the crowd erupted into murmurs and Quinn could hear Santana guffawing over all of them. Finn stared at Rachel in disbelief.

"Rach – "

Rachel didn't even wait for him to finish her name as she turned around, grabbed Quinn's hand and pulled her down the hallway. Santana started clapping, which got the whole hallway to follow with inappropriate applause.

"I love you guys!" Quinn was pretty sure that was Brittany.

They ignored everyone as they made their way to the choir room. Rachel led her in, looked around, and then closed the door and locked it. She closed the blinds on the little window and captured Quinn's lips in a passionate kiss. Rachel was hers. And she wanted her to know that.

Briefly, Quinn wondered if Santana was psychic before all coherent thought flew out of her head.

* * *

Rachel walked back into her apartment and sighed. She looked towards her bedroom and felt a distinct sense of dread in her chest. She walked slowly to her room and took a deep breath before she entered. There, sitting on the dresser, was the cause of all of her confusion tonight.

She sat down on her bed and stared at it for minutes. It had fallen out of her coat pocket earlier, but she had no idea where it came from. Or how it got into her possession in the first place. But when she touched it . . . she couldn't explain the rush that ran through her. It _staggered _her. She stood up and walked over to her dresser in a daze.

She reached out and traced her finger along the gold chain, all the way down to the star pendant at the end.

A small smile crept onto her face without her knowing it.

* * *

**August 17, 2011**

Quinn leaned against the lamp post at _their spot _in the park with Rachel wrapped snuggly in her arms. The summer sun beat down upon them as they shared soft kisses with each other. Rachel pulled back and smiled sweetly at her before tucking her head under Quinn's chin, listening to the soothing _thump thump _of her heart. Quinn breathed in the soothing smell of the brunette's hair and remembered thinking that this was one of the greatest moments of her life. Just standing with her girlfriend, with the town below them, and no rush to be anywhere or do anything. She could've stood there all day with Rachel. Nothing felt better, more perfect. So right.

"I love you."

The body stiffening in her arms caused her words to register in her head. She cursed to herself; she hadn't meant to say that out loud. Rachel pulled back to look at her with wide eyes. Quinn could clearly see the tears welling up in them.

"What did you say?"

Quinn bit her lip, trying to keep her throat from closing up. The hopefulness that was shining in the brown orbs gave her a surge of confidence to repeat herself.

"I love you," she whispered. Rachel began to smile at her and she connected their lips in a kiss different from all the rest. There was more passion, more care.

More love.

Rachel pulled away, breathing deeply, and leaned their foreheads together. She traced her thumb over Quinn's bottom lip, smiling shyly at her.

"I love you too."

The happiness and relief that surged through her made her feel like she was floating. Literally floating. They met in another kiss and Quinn felt the shift of scenery around them. When they pulled apart they were in Rachel's room, her father's still at work. She looked into Rachel's eyes and remembered.

This was the first time.

She brought their foreheads together and closed her eyes against the sudden onset of tears. They kissed and moved towards the bed, falling on it together. Quinn felt curious fingers play with the hem of her shirt before pulling it over her head. Her bra was next and then they hands rested on her stomach. She opened her eyes to look down at Rachel and she was crying as well. Quinn slowly removed Rachel's shirt, never breaking eye contact except for that second the clothing covered her eyes as it passed over her head. The bra was discarded. She looked down at the half naked body and smiled. Rachel was beautiful. They met in a kiss. Go through the motions.

Enjoy the moment. One last time.

Their shorts were discarded without breaking the kiss and their moans mixed together at the naked contact. Quinn leaned back to look down at their bodies, so intimate, so fitting. Perfect. She stared into Rachel's eyes as their fingers trailed to their cores and explored the new territory with lustful curiosity. Their lips met again when their fingers slipped into the tight heat.

Quinn remembered that they had spoken to each other. They asked questions, they complimented each other, they professed their love. This time she couldn't open her mouth to say anything. That would be too final. That would make it too real.

They moved together, their hearts beating as one against their chests. Soft moans leaked from their connected lips as their orgasms built and built and built until they tumbled off the edge, clinging desperately to each other. Quinn professed her love over and over again against Rachel's lips. If this was to be the last time she tells Rachel, then she'll tell her until the world around them crumbled. Rachel lifted a hand to tangle into choppy blonde hair.

"Quinn," she whispered, her voice fading away. "Don't ever leave me."

Quinn closed her eyes as her heart dropped to her stomach. _I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. _She clung to Rachel until her body hit nothing but the warm bed sheets beneath her and she cried. She didn't open her eyes. She couldn't bear to see herself alone in the bed. To see this memory disappear.

She professed her love to an empty room until it was all over and she was gone as well.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry. Seriously, I am. **

**But no, really, how'd you like it? **

**The interludes are starting to become a little random and they jump time now. So expect that from now on. **

**References: **

"**Eat the cake, Anna Mae" – **_**What's Love Got to Do with It? **_**Another great movie. **

**Lyrics on the rings: "Like a Star" by Corinne Bailey Rae**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Happy Christmas (eve)! As an early present, I busted this shit out in a week even though I should've been painting. Priorities, right? Three more chapters left. So excited for the end. **

**For those of you who were wondering about the second part of the prologue: that will be the very last chapter. Pretty much, you'll have waited an entire year to find out what happened next. Unless you've seen the movie. **

**This is **_**not **_**an easy story to write at all, if you can imagine. And because the holidays are so fucking busy, I really doubt I'll be able to finish this story by the end of the year. If not the end of the year, then the beginning of January. Now **_**that, **_**I promise. **

**Anyway, I'm tired. ReadPonderEnjoy. **

**Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah!**

* * *

**July 4, 2011**

The carnival was one of Quinn's favorite places in the entire world. It had been _years _since she's been to one. And, _fuck, _she loved it. She couldn't help but feel like a kid every time she went. And today was Rachel and Quinn's second date, despite the fact that the entire glee club was with them (with the exception of Mercedes and Artie, who were out of town, and Finn, for obvious reasons, and the addition of Maxine who was visiting Quinn for the week). They had separated from the group right when they entered, so that their date could actually _feel _like a date. After managing to find their way out of the House of Mirrors, Rachel grabbed Quinn's hand and dragged her to a photo booth.

"I've always wanted to do one of these things!" she squealed happily. Quinn chuckled at her, clutching the turtle stuffed animal that Rachel won her to her chest.

"You've never been in a photo booth before?"

Rachel shook her head as they sat down on the small bench in the booth. "Finn never wanted to take the pictures. I just always thought they were such a romantic cliché, it would be foolish of me not to do them with someone I l-like. Very much."

Quinn smiled at the little stutter. She knew that she loved Rachel and had fallen in love with her _months _ago. She was almost completely positive that Rachel felt the same, but it was too soon to actually voice it. The always expressive brown eyes said it for them and she could only hope that Rachel could understand it in her eyes as well. She leaned forward to catch her lips in a short chaste kiss, bringing up the shy smile on Rachel's face. The brunette giggled cutely and turned to feed the booth her money, but Quinn beat her to it. Rachel looked at her sternly.

"_Quinn._"

The blonde giggled. Rachel was very adamant that she pay for everything on this date, but the photo booth was _Rachel's _idea, so it was only fair. "What's done is done, baby."

Rachel rolled her eyes and nudged her before turning to the screen to select their theme (gold stars, _of course_). The four pictures snapped by in a matter of seconds and at the end, their lips were still connected until the photo strips were printed out. They pulled apart out of breath and Quinn tucked a stray hair behind Rachel's ear.

"I like you, too. Very much," she whispered and Rachel giggled, giving her one last kiss before pulling her out of the booth to get their pictures. It was _very _cliché. A simple smile. Funny faces. Quinn laughing while Rachel hugged her around the neck and pecked her on the cheek. A loving kiss. Rachel ran her finger over the images before smiling up at Quinn.

"They're perfect."

Quinn grinned; she couldn't agree more.

She grabbed her copy before interlacing their fingers together and they made their way to the entrance of the carnival to meet up with their friends so they could go back to her house for a fourth of July barbeque. Everyone was waiting on them by the time they got there and Quinn arched her eyebrow at Puck's arm around Max's shoulders because she could've sworn she told her friend not to fool around with that boy.

Maxine just wrapped her arm around Puck's waist and gave Quinn an air kiss with a smirk.

The barbeque was fun; all of the parents had met up there and the food was ready by the time they arrived. Most of the time, Quinn just made out with Rachel, ignoring her body's instinct to follow protocol. It was the coolest thing; nobody _realized _that they were basically dry humping each other in the middle of the party because, in reality, they weren't. It was absolutely refreshing because they hadn't gotten past the under the shirt-over the bra aspect of their relationship at this time.

God, it was _fantastic. _

They only separated when Santana rudely called their names. They looked over in a daze and saw the glee kids waiting for them, the moon in the sky and the back porch light the only thing illuminating their faces. Rachel stood up from straddling Quinn's waist and pulled the pouty blonde with her.

"Fireworks," she reminded her quietly and that got Quinn to smile excitedly.

They joined their friends and Luck for the walk to the park where they were going to light the fireworks the Puck somehow got his hands on. Quinn laid her arm over Rachel's shoulder and she observed their friends in front of them. Luck and Brittany were leading the pack, dragging Amy, Abigail and Santana behind him. Mike and Tina walked behind them, their heads close together as they whispered lovingly to each other. Puck was carrying a box of fireworks and talking with Kurt, his arm _still _around Maxine who was running her hand through Sam's blonde hair before smacking him on the back of the head.

She loved these people. She really did.

They went to their secluded area to set off the fireworks. Rachel and Quinn lied down away from everyone else, staring at each other as the fireworks lit up their bodies. Their supply had only lasted a half an hour and they were now just enjoying the variety of projectiles in the sky from the town below. Most of their group was lying in a circle a few feet away, but Santana and Brittany went home early and Puck and Maxine had disappeared somewhere.

Quinn didn't _want _to know.

Rachel reached out and caressed Quinn's cheek. She smiled and leaned forward to kiss her.

"You're incredibly beautiful," she whispered.

Quinn beamed and wrapped an arm around Rachel's waist, pulling her close so their legs tangled together. She leaned forward and kissed her nose, smiling at the way Rachel scrunched her face up. She waited for the next firework to illuminate Rachel before replying.

"You're incredibly beautiful, too."

* * *

Karen and Mitchell walked back into Quinn's apartment and stopped just outside of the door. Mitch reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter.

"Alright, remember," he said as he set the quarter on his thumb, "heads, we ruin these girls' happiness for the sake of our job. Tails, we feign ignorance until we die and risk our job. Got it?"

"Soothing. Just flip."

Mitchell flipped the quarter into the air and they watched it fall to the ground. They looked at each other; he bent down to pick up the quarter and opened the front door. They walked to the bedroom where Tim was still seated in front of his computer, sipping on his second beer. He smiled at them.

"So, you found your credit card?" He asked Karen who nodded at him.

"Yup," she chirped and sat back down in the arm chair, opening up her book, "I don't know how I forgot it there."

Tim shrugged and pressed a couple of buttons on his laptop. "You were lucky no one took it."

"Very lucky indeed."

The siblings smiled secretly at each other before returning to their individual entertainment.

* * *

**June 22, 2011**

Quinn was _nervous._

Nervous probably didn't even begin to cover it. _Terrified. _That summarized the whirlwind of emotions that swirled in the pit of her stomach. Her fingers drummed nervously on her thigh as she walked into the living room where her mother was watching television with a glass of wine. Judy looked up at Quinn and smiled.

"Hey, honey," she frowned at Quinn's strangely pale face, "Are you okay?"

Quinn took a deep breath.

"I'm going to ask Rachel out on a date."

Judy stared at Quinn blankly for a moment before smiling and nodding her head.

"Okay, dear."

Quinn blinked. She walked forward and stood in front of the television, blocking Judy's view. She placed her hands on her hips.

"Mom," she said slowly, "I'm going to ask Rachel out on a date. Like a date date."

Judy chuckled. "I heard you the first time, Quinn."

"I like her. A lot."

"I know, dear."

Quinn deflated. Well, this was anticlimactic.

"You're okay with it?"

"Well, I _do _have another daughter who is gay and has a lovely girlfriend, so it would be a bit hypocritical of me if I had a problem with _you_ liking girls."

At Quinn's dumbfounded expression, Judy sighed and patted the couch next to her. Quinn walked over and plopped down on the sofa, immediately leaning into her mother's side. Judy paused her show and wrapped her arm around Quinn.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"I just . . . was expecting more of a reaction, I guess," she whispered as she laid her head on Judy's shoulder.

Judy smiled. "Well, I can throw a fit and kick you out of the house if you prefer."

"No, that's fine," Quinn chuckled and shook her head. She propped her chin on her Judy's shoulder. "You're really okay with it?"

"Of course," Judy whispered, kissing Quinn's forehead. "You are my daughter and I love you. And Rachel is a wonderful girl, I could not ask for a better person to catch your eye. I just want you to be happy. Rachel makes you happy doesn't she?"

A smile erupted on Quinn's face as she nodded. "Very much."

"Then that's all I ask for," Judy smiled and squeezed Quinn's shoulders. "Are you nervous about asking her?"

Quinn's eyes widened and she nodded. Judy laughed.

"She'll say yes, Quinnie."

"I know," Quinn said and kissed her mom's cheek before standing up. She smiled. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, honey," Judy said with a smile before playing her show again. "Be sure to tell me everything!"

Quinn chuckled and left out of the front door, only to find herself in front of Rachel's house having just exited her car. Her fathers were getting into the car in the driveway. James saw her first and waved happily at her.

"Hello, Quinn!"

The blonde smiled at them as she walked up, her hands clamped behind her back so they wouldn't see them shaking.

"Hi James, David. Is Rachel home?"

David nodded his head. "Do you want me to call her down?"

Quinn shook her head and stepped a little closer to them, lowering her voice.

"I actually wanted to talk to you two before I go and see her."

James gasped and clutched onto David excitedly causing Quinn to blush. The smaller of the two placed a calming hand on his husband's arm before smiling encouragingly at the nervous blonde.

"Go ahead, Quinn."

Quinn gulped and shuffled her feet.

"I-I was wondering if I could . . . date Rachel."

James squealed and wrapped her in a bear hug, swinging her back and forward.

"Yes! Yes you can! Do it! Do it! Do it!"

"James, honey," David rescued a giggling Quinn from his excited husband and smiled at her. "Yes, you may date our daughter."

Quinn beamed at him and wrapped David in a hug. "Thank you so much!"

David chuckled and when the pulled away he gave her a stern look.

"You treat her right, okay?"

Quinn nodded vigorously and the men smiled at her. With one last hug to Quinn, Rachel's dads got in the car with a promise to be back a little later and drove away with a wave. Quinn watched them leave before taking a deep breath and turning to enter the house. She walked up the stairs and turned down the hall to Rachel's room. She stood in front of the door, shook out her trembling hands and took a deep soothing breath. She knocked lightly and waited.

"Come in!"

Quinn pushed the door open and immediately smiled at the brunette on the bed. Rachel grinned and put her book aside before springing up and wrapping her arms around Quinn.

"I didn't know you were coming!" she squealed happily and pulled back so the tips of their noses brushed against each other. "Hi."

Quinn giggled and leaned forward to peck Rachel's lips. "Hello, beautiful."

Rachel blushed and dropped her hand to lace with Quinn's.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Quinn smiled, letting her eyes drop nervously to the floor before looking back up into the curious brown eyes.

"What are your plans tonight?"

Rachel shrugged, swinging their hands by their sides. "I was actually just going to call you to see if you wanted to have a movie night with me. Do you?"

Quinn bit her lip, caressing the back of Rachel's hand with her thumb.

"Actually I was wondering if I could take you out on a date."

Rachel blinked at her before beaming. "Really?"

When Quinn nodded, she lurched forward and captured the blonde's lips in a dizzying kiss before pushing her out of the bedroom and closing the door in her face.

"Wait for me downstairs, Quinn!" she shouted from inside her room. "I have to change!"

Quinn stared at the door for moment, still reeling from that kiss, before chuckling and skipping down the stairs to wait for Rachel in the living room. She was only alone for a few moments when Rachel walked down the steps in a short plain black skirt and some other articles of clothing (Quinn was sufficiently distracted by the delicious legs). Rachel stopped in front of her and Quinn managed to drag her eyes up to look into the excited brown eyes.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Quinn smiled and gave Rachel a chaste kiss before leading her out of the house and to her car. They went to the only restaurant in Lima that offered vegan food that was actually good. It was perfect; conversation ran nonstop, the food was delicious and Quinn paid for everything. Then she drove them back to her house to drop off her car so that she could walk Rachel home through the park, their hands connected the whole time. Quinn played the gentleman and walked Rachel up to her front door.

"I really enjoyed this evening, Quinn," Rachel said sincerely, stepping closer to Quinn's body, "It was the best date I've ever been on."

Quinn blushed and couldn't keep the blinding smile off of her face. "It was just dinner."

"Shush, it was perfect," Rachel whispered and wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist, tucking her head under Quinn's chin. The artist hugged Rachel close, laying her head on top of hers.

"Rach?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Rachel stilled before leaning back to look at Quinn. She beamed and lifted her arms to wrap them around Quinn's neck, whispering a 'yes' against her lips before meeting in a passionate embrace. It was a slow kiss; just the slightest introduction of tongue before they pulled apart, their foreheads leaned together.

"Are you coming inside?"

Quinn shut her eyes and shook her head. She had treated it like a cliché first date; dinner, a walk in the park and a kiss on the front porch. She refused the offer because that's what a gentlewoman does on a first date. But, _God, _did she want to go inside with Rachel this time. She wanted this night, this memory to last forever.

Because when it was over, that would be the official end of their relationship.

"No crying," Rachel whispered as she wiped the lone tear from Quinn's cheek. Quinn opened her eyes and shook her head.

"I can't help it," she croaked quietly, gripping the back of Rachel's shirt. "I don't – I don't want to lose you. I don't want this to be over."

Rachel frowned and leaned forward to press their lips together. She lifted up on her toes for more pressure and ran her fingers through the short blonde hair. She didn't pull back far; instead she placed her mouth by Quinn's ear.

"I'll love you for the rest of my life, Quinn," she whispered, feeling Quinn's arms tighten around her waist. "Nothing will ever change that, okay?"

Quinn sniffed and nodded, pulling her head away to look into the regretful brown eyes. She gave a teary smile.

"I love you, too," she said, kissing those lips again, "Forever and always."

Rachel smiled and, with one more kiss, she stepped out of the embrace and closer to the front door. She straightened up and took a deep breath as if she was preparing to get into character for a big scene. When she looked back at Quinn, her eyes were dry and happy like they were meant to be.

"Thank you for a wonderful night, Quinn," she said quietly, squeezing the blonde's hand with her own.

Quinn chuckled and nodded, wiping the remaining tears from her face. "You're welcome. I had a lot of fun with you."

"Me too," Rachel blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Then she leaned forward quickly to steal another kiss from Quinn. She bit her lip and smiled shyly. "I'll, uh, see you tomorrow right?"

Quinn smiled, kissing the back of Rachel's hand. "Of course."

They shared one last soft kiss before finally disconnecting their hands. Rachel wished her a good night and opened the front door, pausing to soak in the image of her girlfriend, and went inside with a small wave. Quinn waved back and watched the door close, feeling a variety of contradicting emotions running through her. Her body's instinct was to feel giddy, absolutely elated that their first date was fantastic and the Rachel was her _girlfriend_.

But her mind reminded her that this was the end just as much as it was the beginning and a flood of heartache and despair was trying desperately to overflow all other emotions. The tears were welling up in her eyes again as she stared at the front door, forcing her feet to stay put for just a little longer.

A knocking caught her attention and she looked to the window to find James smiling at her from inside. He waved excitedly and gave her two thumbs up. Quinn smiled and nodded, giggling when she saw him celebrating. She could barely hear his happy squeals and exclamations through the glass. She waved at him and began to walk away from the house.

Despite the consequences of having this memory erased, Quinn couldn't help but walk home with a smile on her face.

* * *

"Tina, I think we need to talk about this."

Tina looked up from her suitcase confused.

"We need to talk about packing?"

"What? No." he said, dropping a shirt into his own bag. "About this Quinn and Rachel thing."

Tina sat down on the bed and waited. "Okay."

Mike sat down next to her and stared at the trash bags that were in their closet. He couldn't even go near it; it was like it omitted some poisonous gas that made anyone within a five foot radius from it just sick with depression. It was _that _serious. He sighed.

"You really think this is a good idea?"

Tina gave a small nod. Good? No. _Great _idea.

"You should've seen Rachel," she whispered, laying her head on Mike's shoulder. "She . . . she's still not well. T-this procedure won't make them feel happy. It makes them feel empty. And I think that if something doesn't happen soon, she's going to break down again."

Mike frowned, his eyes still glued to the closet.

"What if we let them find each other again?" he asked, "They'll probably see each other in Lima. They'll have a clean slate."

"They _won't _have a clean slate," Tina told him softly, but emphatically. "This procedure is only one hundred percent effective if they never meet or hear about each other again and, in their situation, that's impossible. They are going to remind each other of things that will make no sense to them. There's still so much proof of their relationship still out there. What's going to happen when they stumble upon remnants of their past together?"

Mike shook his head. He could only imagine how confusing it would be. Would their relationship even survive with the amount of secrets weighing them down? Would all of them be seen as the enemies for keeping it from them?

"It's easier this way," Tina whispered as she grabbed Mike's hand. "They can only be happy if they know the truth."

Mike could only nod in agreement.

* * *

**May 24, 2011**

Quinn stared into the mirror as she ran her fingers through her newly short, choppy hair. It was actually Brittany's suggestion, to 'get rid of the bad heebie jeebies'as she said. Abigail was _all _for it and planned to get her hair cut when they were back in Lima. Quinn smiled at her reflection. A weight certainly felt like it had been lifted. It was the perfect transformation. She no longer looked exactly like the evil cheerleader she once was hidden beneath a sundress.

She was now Quinn Fabray of Lima Ohio, new soccer captain of McKinley High, potential artist from New York University.

The door to their room opened and Rachel walked in, pausing in her steps when she caught sight of the new Quinn. A gasp tumbled from her lips and in an instant she was standing in front of Quinn with her hand reaching up to run through the blonde tresses.

"You cut your hair," she whispered in awe. Quinn nodded and smiled at her.

"Yeah," she affirmed shyly. "Do you like it?"

Rachel blushed and let her hand drop from Quinn's hair to lace their fingers together.

"I think you look gorgeous."

Quinn bit her lip to keep from beaming like a fool and leaned forward quickly to steal a kiss. Rachel smiled and ducked her head down to hide her growing blush. Kissing was new for them. They happened randomly and never lasted more than a few seconds. They were done in secret because their relationship was still technically in the platonic stage.

But to not kiss each other before the first date? Fucking inconceivable.

Rachel gave her another quick kiss before pulling her out of the room by her hand and ending up backstage ready to perform. Quinn closed her eyes to calm her nerves, trying not to think about the fact that Finn and Rachel were going to sing a duet that boy wrote. They knew it was a blatant attempt to win Rachel over again, but what could they do when it was one of the best songs that were written in such a short amount of time.

Still, the one person who didn't vote for this song was Quinn.

There was a squeeze to her hand and she opened her eyes to look over at Rachel in the little black dress. The diva stood on her toes and kissed her cheek, moving her mouth to Quinn's ear.

"I'm singing to you. Remember that," she whispered and Quinn didn't even try to contain her grin.

With another quick kiss to the blonde's cheek, Rachel skipped to the other side of the stage to get into position. Quinn kept her eyes on Rachel as she sang, beaming brightly when those lovely brown eyes searched for hers every chance they got. The song was being well received by the time the rest of the club stepped onto the stage and turned their backs. But at the end of the song, a dead silence fell over the auditorium. Quinn looked over her shoulder and felt her heart drop when she saw Finn kissing Rachel.

Her knees nearly gave out when Rachel didn't push him away.

She turned around the face the back of the stage before the kiss ended and shut her eyes against the onslaught of tears. There was a lone applause before the rest of the audience followed, but Quinn could hardly hear it. Her heart was pounding painfully in her chest, in her ears, and if Santana of all people didn't grab her hand to lead her through the choreography she would've ran off stage. She could feel Rachel's eyes on her throughout the entire song, but she couldn't bring herself to meet them.

When the song was over, Quinn walked off stage and was making her way back to the hotel room alone by the time the rest of New Directions made it back to the green room. She got out of her dress, put on her pajamas and walked out onto the balcony with a blanket. She settled down on one of the lounge chairs and stared into oblivion, lost in her somber thoughts. The other girls entered the room cursing and groaning so Quinn assumed they didn't place in the top ten.

The sliding door opened and Quinn turned her head to see Rachel walking outside in her pajamas and a jacket. They stared at each other for a moment and Quinn noticed the tears shining in Rachel's eyes. The brunette took a few tentative steps forward.

"Hi," she whispered brokenly, "Can-can I talk to you?"

Quinn bit her lip and nodded. Rachel walked over to her and sat on the edge of the lounge chair, folding her hand nervously in her lap and keeping her eyes to the ground.

"Quinn," she started out quietly, "That kiss . . . it meant nothing. I promise you it meant _nothing _at all."

She lifted her teary eyes to meet Quinn and the blonde felt her heart break again at the desperation shining in the brown orbs. Quinn sighed and pulled the blanket back as an invitation for Rachel to join her. The diva didn't hesitate to lay down next to her, cuddling into her side and the tears leaked out of her eyes when she felt Quinn wrap her arms around her.

"I'm so sorry, Quinn," Rachel whimpered into her shoulder. Quinn closed her eyes.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Rach."

Rachel shook her head, her hold tightening around the blonde's waist. "I don't want to hurt you."

Quinn tensed, forcefully pushing back the regretful emotions bubbling in her chest. She buried her face in Rachel's hair.

"Do you still want to be with Finn?"

Rachel lifted up on her elbows to stare into Quinn's eyes. "I have_ no _interest in Finn Hudson. I told him to stay away from me after the performance. I only want to be with you, Quinn."

Quinn stared into her eyes, seeing nothing but devotion and an emotion she figured was just her hopeful imagination. She let a small smile creep onto her face and she cupped Rachel's cheek to guide her into a soft kiss. They pulled away and leaned their foreheads together.

"Then you'll never hurt me," Quinn's whispered against Rachel's lips.

Rachel smiled, shared a couple of more kisses before she tucked her head under Quinn's chin. No more words were spoken as they fell asleep together on the balcony, New York City shining and rumbling obliviously below them.

* * *

Rachel held the necklace delicately in her hand as she held her phone to her ear. She looked at the clock and grimaced at the time; she hoped she wasn't waking anyone up.

"_Rachel?"_

She smiled at the voice. God, did she miss him. "Hi, Noah."

"_Is_ _there something wrong?_ _Are you okay?"_

"I'm fine," she assured him with a small giggle. "I just had a question."

There was an audible sigh of relief on the other end. _"Alright, shoot."_

She looked back down at the necklace, biting her lip nervously.

"Did Finn ever give me a necklace with a gold star pendant on it?"

Puck was silent for such an unusually long moment that Rachel almost thought she lost the call. When he finally answered, it was in a whisper.

"_He never bought you a necklace, Rach."_

Rachel frowned. That was the last person who she thought would've given that necklace to her because if it were her parents, she would've remembered that. She gripped the necklace tightly in a fist and sighed.

"Alright," she said disappointedly, "Thanks, Puck."

"_Are you sure you're okay, Rachel?"_

Rachel smiled again.

"I'm okay," she assured him. "I'll see you in Lima."

"_Of course, babe," _she could hear the smile in his voice, _"Be sure to hit me up when you get home, okay?"_

Rachel agreed and they said their goodbyes before she hung up her phone, set her alarm and put it on the nightstand. She opened her hand to stare at the necklace. She reached up and clasped the chain around her neck. A strange calm spiked through her heart as the gold star lay against her chest.

She lied down on her bed and, for the first time in what seemed like years, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

**May 13, 2011**

Quinn wasn't even trying to focus on the television set when there was a small knock on the door. She stood up, wincing only a little bit at the dull pain in her ankle, and went to answer it. Her eyes widened at the visitor on her doorstep.

"Rachel!" she gasped out, "What are you doing here? I-I thought you wanted to go to Prom."

Rachel smiled shyly, lifting her overnight bag and little higher on her shoulder. She fiddled with her fingers nervously, stepping a little closer to the blonde.

"Well, since everyone is at prom, I didn't want you to be alone," she answered quietly. "So, I figured I could keep you company tonight. I-if that's alright, of course."

When she looked back up, her body visibly relaxed at the smile on Quinn's face. Rachel had asked Quinn to prom as friends, but the blonde rejected the offer as she didn't plan on attending. She knew that Rachel was disappointed, but she still fully expected Rachel to go. This was the best surprise of the year. The blonde reached forward to grab Rachel's hand and pulled her into the house towards the living room, shutting the door behind them. She took the overnight bag from the petite diva.

"I'm going to put this in my room," she told her, leading her to the couch, "You can wait here, I'll be right back."

She hurried upstairs to her room to drop off the bag, ignoring the protest from her ankle, and poked her head into her mom's room to inform her that Rachel was sleeping over ("_That's fine, dear. You girls have fun"), _before making her way back to the living room. Rachel was standing in front of the cabinets where their DVD collection was, reading the back of one of the cases with a couple of movies already tucked under her arm. Quinn crept up behind her to see what movie it was and smiled when she saw that it was _Memento_.

"That's one of my favorites."

Rachel jumped slightly causing Quinn to giggle. The brunette rolled her eyes and lightly hit her in the stomach, but added the movie to the pile that was building in her arms. Five movies were chosen (three of Rachel's choosing and two of Quinn's) and they settled down on the couch after popping in _Little Miss Sunshine. _At first there was definite space between them and shy glances, bashful smiles. But as time went on and _Little Miss Sunshine _turned into _Memento, _the space between them dwindled until their hips were pressed together and their hands were intertwined. Half way through _The Prestige _they were laying down, cuddled together and asleep.

Quinn woke up first and lifted her head to look down at the slumbering Rachel on her shoulder. She smiled and lifted a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Rachel's ear, causing her to stir. The brunette smiled sleepily at Quinn and stretched before wrapping an arm around Quinn's neck, playing with the hair that fell over her shoulders.

"Hi."

Quinn giggled and leaned forward to kiss Rachel's cheek. "Hey you."

Rachel hummed and pressed her face into Quinn's neck.

"What time is it?"

Quinn's pulse thumped wildly at the lips that brushed against her neck and, if the smirk against her skin was any indication, Rachel felt it too. She looked over to the clock hanging on the wall.

"Just a little bit past midnight," she answered quietly. She took a deep breath, her senses feeling up with the scent of Rachel and she stood up. She smiled down at the confused brunette and held out her hand.

"Come on," she said, pulling her off the couch, "let's go to my room."

She turned off the rolling credits of _The Prestige_ and grabbed Rachel's hand to lead her up stairs to her room. Rachel grabbed her pajamas and walked into the en suite bathroom. At that point, Abigail stuck her head into bedroom to give her sister a wink and a thumbs up, to which Quinn replied by throwing one of her throw pillows at the cheerleader's face.

Rachel exited the bathroom in time to hear Abby giggling across the hall. She smiled shyly at Quinn, unconsciously fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

"I-I can sleep in the guest room if you want."

Quinn frowned and shook her head. She walked over to Rachel until their toes were almost touching. "Why would I want that?"

Rachel shrugged and looked down at her feet.

"I know you're still figuring things out," she admitted quietly. "I just thought maybe you'd want your space."

Quinn cupped Rachel's cheek and lifted her face to place a slow closed mouth kiss to her lips. She felt Rachel's sharp intake of breath and smiled into the kiss when the brunette gripped her hips. They pulled apart and Quinn traced her thumb along Rachel's bottom lip.

"You wanted to spend the night with me instead of going to prom," she whispered, dropping her hand to grab Rachel's. "I want you to stay in here."

Rachel beamed happily and wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck. She laid her head on the blonde's shoulder and sighed contentedly.

"Prom wouldn't have been the same without you there," she whispered, "I wouldn't have had anyone to dance with."

Quinn chuckled and wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist, bringing their bodies flush together. She swayed their bodies in a quiet dance as Rachel softly sang in her ear.

"_Just like a star across my sky. Just like an angel off the page. You have appeared in my life, feels like I'll never be the same . . ."_

* * *

_Puck stomped his way over to Rachel and her cast mate, a scowl firmly on his face when he caught the end of their conversation._

"_Just a drink, Rach," Todd said, pulling the diva even closer to his body. "You have nothing better to do."_

_Rachel scowled, struggling against the man's hold. "_Anything _is better than going out with a pig like you."_

_Todd's face contorted in disgust and he opened his mouth to respond, but Puck cut him off. _

"_Hey, Rach!" he called and chuckled at the beaming, relieved smile that sprouted on her face. _

"_Noah!" she greeted happily and threw her arms around his neck. _

_He picked her up and spun her around, ecstatic to hear the giggle finally fall from the small brunette's mouth. He put her feet back on the ground and turned around to look at Todd and leaned towards him, the scowl back on his face._

"_You must be Todd," he said quietly so Rachel couldn't hear, his eyes burning into the hesitant man's. The actor took a step back. "My friend Quinn told me all about you."_

_Todd's eyes widened and he gave a small nod before turning on his heel and hurrying away. _

_He turned back to Rachel who was watching Todd leave and smirked. Rachel looked at him and giggled. _

"_Thank you, Noah," she gave him another big hug, "What did you say to him?"_

_Puck chuckled. "I told him to keep his paws off of my Jewish American Princess or I'll kick his ass."_

_Rachel shook her head and nudged him playfully. She pulled away to look up at him only to find him frowning at something behind them. She turned around to see what it was, but the only thing that seemed out of the ordinary was a girl hurrying away from the theatre, her blonde hair whipping in the air and hiding her face. She looked distraught. _

_Even running away, she looked beautiful. _

_She turned back to look up at Puck, who was still frowning. "Do you know her?" _

_Puck looked over at Sam, his eyes questioning. Sam shook his head placidly and Puck gave a small sigh of relief. He looked down to smile at Rachel. _

"_No, I don't," he told her as he wrapped an arm around her neck and led her over to Sam, "But I'm sure everything's going to be fine."_

* * *

**April 23, 2011**

Quinn sat on the back porch, looked up at the sky and sighed. The stars reminded her of Rachel. _Everything_ reminded her of Rachel. No matter how hard she tried to avoid even the mere _thought _of the tiny brunette, her face was always there in the front of her mind.

The pleading voice and crying eyes haunted her in her sleep.

Someone sat down next to her and she didn't even have to look up to see who it was because Luck came out with them and was trying to lick her face and give her a hug. She moved her face away and pushed at his stomach for him to get off of her, giving him a small pat on the head so she wouldn't hurt his feelings.

"Hey, calm yourself," Abigail called to Luck and he looked at her. "Come here, Pivot."

He walked over and sat down next to Abby. She giggled and gave him a hug. Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"Did you just call your dog 'Pivot'?"

Abigail giggled louder and nodded.

"I taught him earlier today. Just so that, when I'm calling him, I can yell, 'Pivot! _Pivot! PIVOT!'" _Luck barked and licked her in the face causing the cheerleader to fall on her back and burst into a fit of laughter. After about a minute, she wiped the tears from her face and sighed, still shaking from her mirth. "Next week, I'm going to name him 'Mr. Feeny'."

And then she started laughing again.

Quinn chuckled, a sound that felt foreign in her throat, and shook her head at her sister. She was a little relieved that Abigail was there to keep her company. She would much rather be distracted by her laughter than sulking in her thoughts. Eventually, however, Abigail's giggles trailed off and she sat back up, letting a tense silence fall over them. Abigail sighed.

"I don't get you, Quinn."

Quinn looked at her, letting out a disbelieving laugh.

"Abigail, I _never _get you."

The cheerleader ignored the comment and stared at Quinn, her blue eyes a rare shade of serious. She shook her head.

"If you love Rachel, why don't you do anything about it?"

Quinn immediately looked away from Abigail and down to her feet. "I don't love her."

Abigail scoffed. "Okay, now look me in the eyes and say that again."

Quinn scowled and ran a tired hand through her hair. Forget it, she would much rather be left alone than in the company of her intuitive sister.

"Abigail, I don't want to talk about this."

"But you _love _her_."_

"So _what _if I do?" Quinn snapped at her, standing to her feet, ignoring the sharp pain in her ankle. Abigail raised an eyebrow. "What difference does that make?"

"Oh, I don't know, only all the difference in the world," Abigail said, leaning back on her hands as if they were talking about the weather. "Why are you shading yourself from this wonderful sunshine in your life?"

Quinn closed her eyes and clenched her fist. She _refused _to lose her temper with Abigail. She let out a breath and looked her sister in the eye.

"I love Rachel," she whispered, her eyes tearing up. That was the first time she admitted it out loud. "And she deserves someone so much better than me."

"And what do you deserve, Quinn?"

Quinn clenched her jaw.

"Not her."

Abigail frowned.

"Well, what if it isn't about what you _deserve_?" She asked quietly, sitting up straighter. "What if you are _destined _to be with Rachel as Rachel is _fated _to be with you? Fate and Destiny walk hand in hand _forever_."

"_Abigail," _Quinn groaned. She was at the end of her fucking rope. "Please. Can you just _talk _to me?"

Abigail closed her eyes and sighed. She stood up, walked towards her sister and helped her limp back over to the porch steps. She sat Quinn down and kneeled down in front of her, wiping the tears away from her sister's cheek.

"Quinn," she said seriously, "I know you still feel a lot of guilt over what happened with Robert and Lisa. And I understand why you would _think_ that you don't deserve Rachel because Finn cheated on her as well, okay, I get that. Completely. But did you _love_ Robert orLisa?"

Quinn bit her lip and, after a moment, shook her head. "No."

"Exactly!" Abigail smiled, squeezing her shoulders. "But you _love _Rachel. _That's _the difference. Rachel means more to you. She understands you. She likes you _a lot. _If you try not to hurt her, you won't hurt her. Don't let her go because you're scared."

Quinn looked down at her lap. She _was _scared. For Rachel.

Abigail sighed again and sat down next to Quinn, linking their arms together and laid her head on her shoulder.

"You've had a tough year Quinn," Abigail said quietly, "But it's been a _year_. You know what you did wrong and you _admit _to it. It's okay if you move on now. It was just one dark moment in your life; at the end of the day, you're still a _fantastic _person. You _deserve _happiness. And Rachel," she smiled softly, "You light up when she's around. She's your sunshine. And I think she will be forever."

Quinn looked up and felt a small smile creep onto her face. It was a lovely thought; Rachel Berry being her eternal sunshine. Her golden star in the sky. Maybe she does deserve happiness. Perhaps she's paid her penance. She bit her lip.

"What do I do, Abby?" she asked quietly, her voice sounding child-like.

Abigail beamed at her and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. She gave her a tight, tight hug and patted her on the head.

"Just talk to her, Quinn. You won't regret it," Abigail said softly. She gave her another quick kiss to the cheek and hopped up to finally give Quinn her alone time. "Pivot! Come along."

Abigail laughed as Luck followed her into the house. Quinn chuckled and turned to look over her shoulder to watch her sister leave, only to gasp at the sight of Rachel standing there nervously. They were at the park, in _their _spot, the lamp and the moonlight the only things illuminating their bodies. Jinx meowed and trotted up to her, hopping into her lap. Quinn smiled down at the cat, she had figured that Jinx had run off to Rachel's house and it looked like she was right. Rachel walked over and sat down on the bench next to Quinn, keeping a good distance between them.

"I-I'm happy you wanted to meet up," she said quietly. Then she shifted her eyes to Quinn's ankle. "But I would've gladly met at your house. You should keep off of your foot."

Quinn smiled at her and dropped her eyes back down to Jinx, nervously playing with her ears. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"I don't think I'm good enough for you, Rachel."

Rachel snapped her eyes to Quinn and straightened up.

"That's ridiculous," she whispered. "You're gorgeous, and you're funny, and you're brilliant and talented. You're wonderful." She looked down to her hands and sighed. "You're too good for _me._"

Quinn frowned and looked into the teary eyes next to her. She moved her hand slowly to cover Rachel's, pulling her slightly closer.

"Rachel," she squeezed her hand, "I think you're perfect."

Rachel blushed and looked away to hide her large grin even as she shook her head. Quinn chuckled; she was so fucking adorable. She set Jinx on the bench and kneeled down in front of Rachel, hiding her pained wince, and met her eyes once again.

"I'm scared that I'm going to hurt you," she admitted quietly, lacing their fingers together. "I hurt Robert and I hurt Lisa. I . . . _panic_ when people fall in love with me."

She bit her lip and looked Rachel dead in the eye. She always left out a bit of information when it came to Robert and Lisa. If only Rachel knew the whole truth . . .

"I cheated on Robert with Lisa," she whispered and a small smile actually crept onto Rachel's face, "I took her virginity and then had sex with Robert later that same day because I was scared of my father and of myself," she sighed. A huge weight felt like it had been lifted from her chest and Rachel squeezed her hand. A few tears leaked from her eyes. "I should've told you that. I regret every day that I kept it from you."

Rachel wiped the tears from Quinn's face and she bit her lip, but Quinn could see the message clearly in Rachel's eyes.

_It's okay. Everything will be fine. _

Rachel closed her eyes and got back into character.

"W-we can go slow," she said hopefully, "I can wait until your figure everything out."

Quinn smiled shyly at her. This was her second chance to get it right. She can't waste it.

"I'd like that."

Rachel beamed and leaned forward to wrap her in a tight hug. Quinn closed her eyes, finally allowing herself to revel in the frantic thumping of her heart at the close proximity. She gripped the back of Rachel's sweater.

"Rach?"

The brunette pulled back and looked at her. "Yes?"

"I-I, um," she shifted her eyes down to Rachel's lips, watching them slowly lift upwards into a smirk. "C-can I – I mean I'd l-like to – "

"Quinn," Rachel giggled and the blonde snapped her mouth shut. She looked quickly down to Quinn's and back to her eyes. "You can kiss me if you want to."

Thank. God. Quinn licked her lips and leaned forward, absolutely elated when Rachel met her half way. There was nothing special about this kiss, only their lips were pressed together, but a calm had washed over Quinn like never before. Finally, she felt truly happy. Everything was finally falling into place. Fireworks didn't even begin to explain it.

They leaned their foreheads together when they pulled away, a wide grin on both of the girls' faces. Quinn reached up to cup Rachel's cheek, caressing the soft skin with her thumb.

"Can I still kiss you as I figure things out?"

Rachel giggled and nodded, planting a quick chaste kiss on her lips.

"I would love that."

They shared another kiss, before Rachel stood up and offered to help Quinn home before it got too late. They walked together in a comfortable silence, Quinn with her arm over Rachel's shoulders and Jinx leading the way. Rachel helped Quinn walk all the way up to her bedroom and they shared another kiss before Rachel went home.

When she heard the front door close, she fell back on her bed, happier than she's been all year.

* * *

_Sam peeked into Quinn's bedroom to find her sitting on the bed staring out of the window. He knocked on the doorway and smiled at Quinn when she looked at him. She looked straight through him. He walked over and sat down next to her, throwing an arm over her shoulder and letting her lean into him. He kissed the top of her head. _

"_I think you should go to her play."_

_Quinn looked up at him, the tears already glistening in her eyes from the mere mention of Rachel. _

"_Really?"_

_Sam nodded. "She would want you to. If not for anything else, then go because you promised her."_

_Quinn seemed to think about it for a little bit before nodding her head slightly. _

"_I think I'll go," she whispered. Her eyes took on a desperate look as they searched Sam's. "Do you think it's all over? Do you think I missed my chance of happiness with the woman I love?"_

_Sam frowned and cupped her cheek, thumbing away her tears. _

"_I think that if two people are meant to be together then nothing can keep them apart," he told her, smiling slightly. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead before hugging her back into his side. "And I think you guys are meant to be together forever."_

_Quinn's eyes flicked between his, searching for any sign that said he was just saying that to placate her, but only found the truth. She gave him a small teary smile and laid her head on his shoulder. _

"_I hope you're right, Sam."_

* * *

**April 12, 2011**

Quinn threw the rest of her books into her locker and slammed the steel door shut before taking off down the hallway. She was late for soccer practice for the first time all year and if she wanted that captain spot, she couldn't afford to miss a practice, even if she was easily one of the best players in the district.

She skidded around a corner and ran into someone, hard. Her foot stepped back to try and stop her from falling, but the weight of her body caused it to twist and she fell to the ground with a sharp cry of pain. She immediately scooted back into the lockers and softly cradled her throbbing ankle, tears causing her vision to blur.

"Oh my God! Quinn!"

She looked up from her foot and blinked away the tears to see Rachel Berry hovering over her worriedly. Her heart dropped and she took a sharp intake of breath; this was the closest she's been to Rachel in almost a month. And the last time she really had seen her, other than the forced encounters in glee, she was running away from her house. She tried to back away from the brunette, only to hiss in pain when her ankle was jostled.

"Oh, Quinn, I'm so sorry!" Rachel apologized frantically, dropping to her knees in front of her, "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going; I was rushing to the auditorium before the janitors locked the doors. I'm so sor – "

"Rach," Quinn interrupted her through clenched teeth, breathing deeply through the pain. "C-can you help me to the Nurse's office?"

Rachel nodded her head so vigorously, Quinn was worried it was going to fall off of her neck. Rachel ducked under one of Quinn's arms, wrapped her own arm around her waist and lifted her up slowly. Quinn grimaced at the shooting pain, but sighed when she was finally standing up. Rachel helped her limp to the Nurse's office, letting Quinn put a lot of weight on her to keep as less as possible off of her injured ankle. Quinn was immensely grateful the office was just down the hall.

Rachel reluctantly let the Nurse take over when they got there, but she waited for Quinn despite the fact that the blonde insist that she go to the auditorium. The nurse felt around her ankle before wrapping it with an icepack and there was a piece of good news and a piece of horrible news. Good news: it was only a sprain. Horrible news: that sprain was bad enough that it was going to keep her out of the soccer playoffs. Her heart dropped and she closed her eyes to keep out the tears of frustration. That _sucked_. There was a sniff next to her and, with a pang in her chest; she turned her head to see Rachel crying softly. The nurse left them alone to call her coach, giving her the green card to go home.

Rachel stood up, avoiding Quinn's eyes, and started to help Quinn out of the office. The tears continuously fell down her face until the blonde didn't think her heart could take it anymore. She stopped them in the middle of the hallway, causing Rachel to turn around and look at her.

"Please, don't cry," she whispered.

Rachel shook her head, wiping at her eyes.

"I just ruined your chances of playing in the soccer playoffs. I might have just cost your _whole_ team the title," she looked down to the floor and sniffed again. "I feel _horrible."_

Quinn touched Rachel's chin softly to raise her eyes. She wiped the tears from her cheeks, almost smiling at the blush that was blossoming on the brunette's face. She marveled at the soft skin under her fingertips; it had been too long since she had felt it.

"_I_ ran into _you,_ Rachel," she assured her quietly. "It's not your fault I landed wrong, so please don't blame yourself. I-I don't like it when you cry."

Rachel still looked guilty so Quinn sighed. She dropped her hand to Rachel's and gave it a small tug, pulling the diva's attention to her.

"Listen, if you really want to make it up to me," she bit her lip nervously, "You can help me walk to my car."

Rachel smiled and nodded her head slightly, letting Quinn drape her arm around her shoulders again. They walked slowly in a tense silence to the entrance doors of the school, completely lost in their thoughts. Quinn tried to ignore the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach at being so close to Rachel. It had been so long – too long. At the moment, she really didn't know how she survived a month without being attached at the hip with the small diva.

"I miss you," Rachel whispered shyly and hesitantly. Quinn turned her head to look at her as they pushed open the doors to the school.

Quinn bit her lip to keep the smile from her face and she looked away.

"I miss you, too," she replied so quietly, she was worried Rachel wouldn't hear her. But at the tightening arm around her waist, she knew that she did. No one said anything until they were at Quinn's car. Rachel helped her into the driver's seat before stepping back and putting her hands behind her back.

"Quinn," she said weakly, looking up to meet questioning hazel eyes. "A-are you going to go back to ignoring me?"

Quinn frowned at the tears that tried to well up in her eyes. She stared at Rachel and realized that, yes, she _really _missed her company. Avoiding Rachel was one of the hardest things Quinn had o do. She didn't know if she could keep doing it.

"I miss having my best friend, Rach," she whispered, willing Rachel's eyes to meet hers. Rachel looked at her hopefully and Quinn let a small smile creep onto her face. "I-I want her back."

Rachel stepped closer, keeping eye contact.

"I'm right here, Quinn."

Quinn nodded, dropping her eyes. She's _right there. _It would be so easy to grab her waist and pull her into a kiss. But, no, Quinn didn't deserve that. They could only be friends. She looked back up at Rachel and gave a tiny smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Rachel," she said quietly.

Rachel's eyes brightened and she smiled.

"You mean that?"

Quinn chuckled at her excitement and nodded her head. Rachel was restraining herself from beaming and stepped even closer.

"I'm going to give you a hug now."

Quinn took a quiet, sharp intake of breath.

"Okay," she whispered.

Rachel leaned down and wrapped her arms tightly around Quinn. Quinn closed her eyes at the contact, taking a deep breath of Rachel's scent. This was _wonderful. _All too soon it was over and Rachel took a few steps back to give her space. She looked down bashfully.

"I-I'll see you tomorrow then, Quinn."

Quinn nodded, still in a daze from the hug. Rachel closed the car door for her and she turned to watch the brunette walk back into the school. If her ankle wasn't injured, she would've chased after her.

Instead she started the car and drove away.

* * *

Abigail ended the call and dropped the phone to the bed. A frown was marring her features and she hated it. It felt wrong on her face.

"What did Quinn want?"

Abigail turned to look at Amy who was lying on her bed. She pouted and walked over to cuddle into her raven-haired girlfriend. Amy wrapped her arms around Abigail and waited.

"Quinn's getting the procedure done," Abigail whispered against her neck. "She wants me to cleanse her room of everything Rachel Berry."

Amy frowned. The cheerleader lifted up on her elbows and looked down at her girlfriend.

"What if I don't get rid of anything?"

Amy furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

Abigail sat up. "If Quinn comes home and sees all of these things of Rachel in her room, maybe she'll remember her and try to find her and get back together."

Amy frowned and grabbed Abigail's hand to pull her back down to the bed. She ran her fingers through the short blonde hair and kissed Abby's forehead.

"We can't do that," she whispered. "We don't know what that confusion would do to her. She wants to forget Rachel, so that's what we'll help her do."

She felt Abigail pout against her neck and an arm tightened around her waist.

"I hate this."

Amy nodded, closing her eyes.

"I hate this too. So much."

* * *

**March 29, 2011**

Quinn walked with her head down, making her way to the football field to spend her lunch alone. It had been a really rough, tiring week. She missed Rachel.

God, she missed her so much.

But she was actively avoiding her. She sat on the opposite sides of classrooms and in the choir room. She's been taking the long route to all of her classes to avoid crossing paths with her. Rachel's pleading text messages remained ignored. Whether there was anything left of her heart after this week, Quinn highly doubted it.

An arm reached out and pulled her into an empty classroom. She ripped her arm away, ready to curse the shit out of the perpetrator, but fell silent when she saw that it was only Santana and Brittany.

"Alright, Blondie, whatever is going on between you and the Hobbit needs to be fixed now or very soon from now."

Quinn rolled her eyes and turned to walk towards the door before found herself trapped in a bear hug from the blonde Cheerio. Brittany pouted at her.

"You and Rachel aren't smiling anymore," she said quietly, "It makes me sad."

Quinn dropped her eyes from the sad blue orbs in front of her and she sort of deflated.

"I'm sorry, B."

"If you're sorry, then _fix _whatever the fuck happened between you two," Santana scowled and stepped toward them. "The munchkin's been walking around crying for a week, she doesn't sing anymore, you're a fucking anti-social zombie, Glee is fucking torturous, and all of this is making Brittany sad. So just get it fucking together so everything can go back to the boringness it once was."

Quinn rolled her eyes and gently extracted herself from Brittany's hold. She turned to face Santana.

"Look, I appreciate that you care," she said and Santana rolled her eyes, "But from now on, do me a favor, and stay out of my fucking business."

She turned on her heel to avoid seeing Brittany's tears or Santana's anger, and walked out of the classroom. She leaned back against the door and sighed, and when she looked up, she was staring directly at Rachel who was down the hall. She frowned as Rachel's pleading eyes found hers. When Rachel took a step towards her, she spun around and walked towards the school doors, ignoring the tears that were falling out of Rachel's eyes.

She shut the school doors behind her and closed her eyes .

"Still avoiding Rachel?"

Quinn opened her eyes and found herself in her bedroom skyping with Maxine. She walked forward and sat down in her desk chair, choosing to stare down at the keyboard. She nodded her head. Max sighed.

"She makes you happy, Quinn," Maxine said quietly. "Why won't you just let her?"

"Because I don't deserve it."

Maxine pursed her lips. They had been having this conversation all week and it had yet to change. She sat back in her office chair defeated.

"So, are you just going to ignore her until your feelings go away?"

Quinn thought about it and nodded. "Pretty much."

"And if they don't?"

Quinn's heart clenched at the thought. She knew her feelings for Rachel weren't going to go away for a very long time, if ever. She figured it was some sick trick played by God; make her fall in love with an angel that's too good for her. She looked up to stare at Max.

"Then I guess I'll avoid her forever."

Max dropped her head to her hands, exasperated.

"Quinn, don't do this," she pleaded. "You deserve to be happy. Rachel is – "

Quinn reached over and closed her laptop, cutting Maxine off mid sentence. She stood up and walked over to her bed, plopping down onto the mattress exhausted.

She's doing this the protect Rachel.

_You'll only break her heart._

* * *

Abigail sat on Quinn's bed, staring at the paintings and pictures on the wall. She felt like she was about to execute the pope. She had been sitting in the same spot for about twenty minutes, her body refusing to do what it was asked of it. Amy walked in and sat down behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Are you ready?"

Abigail sighed and shook her head.

"I'm never going to be ready for this."

But she stood up anyway and, together, they stripped Quinn's room of all the happiness and love it once held.

* * *

**March 17, 2011**

Quinn was lying on Rachel's bed when it happened. They were doing their homework together in silence and she could feel Rachel's eyes constantly finding their way back to her. Every time she looked up and caught her staring, Rachel would look away with a bright blush. After the fifth time, Quinn dropped her pencil and arched an eyebrow.

"What's wrong, Rach?"

Rachel bit her lip and shook her head, looking back down to her book. "Nothing."

Quinn frowned and scooted closer to her. She reached over to lift Rachel chin so their eyes could connect and she furrowed her eyebrows at the fear swirling in them.

"Tell me."

For a moment, Rachel simply stared. Then Quinn felt a pair of lips connect with hers and her eyes fell shut. Her heart literally soared, pushing against her chest. Every single part of her body tingled and a flurry of lights flew across her mind's eyes. _Finally. _She's waited so long to feel those lips against hers. They fit together. It was so right. So perf –

_You always break their hearts. _

Quinn ripped her mouth away and stood up from the bed. Rachel lifted a hand to her lips and stood up as well. Quinn shook her head. This couldn't happen.

Rachel wasn't supposed to like her.

"What was that?" she asked robotically.

Rachel walked forward and tried to reach out to her, her face on the verge of crumbling when Quinn stepped away from her. "Quinn, I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean to – "

"I have to go."

The blonde quickly gathered her books and her backpack, and was at the bedroom door in a matter of seconds. Her hand was on the door knob when a broken voice sounded behind her.

"Quinn, please," Rachel whispered, her voice stained with her tears. Quinn froze. She turned her head in Rachel's direction, keeping her eyes to the ground.

"D-Don't leave me."

Quinn closed her eyes, leaning her head against the door. She didn't want to leave this time. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving a broken, worried, scared Rachel all alone. It made her sick to make the brunette cry over her. She wanted to stay. She begged her feet to _please stay_. Don't leave her this time.

She turned the door knob and left, ignoring the sobs that sounded from Rachel's bedroom. The tears were already falling heavily down her cheeks before she even made it to the front door.

Her heart was a shattered mess at the bottom of her stomach.

* * *

**A/N: God, the angst. Happy Holidays, right?**

**It'll get better. **

**I'm seriously getting two dogs when I get older and I'm naming one of them Pivot and the other Mr. Feeny. Dead. Fucking. Serious. **

**References:**

**Mr. Feeny – Boy Meets World. (For those of you unfamiliar, go to youtube and search "Boy Meets World feeny call." The video is called: The Feeny Call. Should be the second clip. **

**Pivot – FRIENDS. (Go to youtube and search for "Friends pivot." Should be the first clip.**

**And just for the hell of it: Go to youtube and search for "Friends moo point." Should be the first clip. **

**All the movies mentioned in this chapter are some of my favorites. **


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: Don't you just hate it when life just doesn't allow you to do what you want to do? Mother eff, man. I'm really sorry. I've been trying to find time to write, but it was just not working out. But two more chapters. Two important chapters. The end of the procedure and the continuation of the prologue. Fucking exciting!**

**Anyway, I'll warn you now: it's about five in the morning. I have class at nine. It's my first day of class. I don't have the time nor do I have the energy to proofread this. So I almost guarantee you that there will be type-os in this. Tomorrow when I get home from my class, if I don't pass the hell out, I'll fix them. Hopefully they're not too bad. I apologize now. **

**Nap time. Read, Ponder, Enjoy.**

* * *

**February 14, 2011**

Quinn leaned back in her desk chair and sighed, rolling her eyes as Maxine laughed at her over the computer.

"Wait, wait" Max gasped out, clutching her stomach, "Stop it. You're spending your Valentine 's Day with Rachel?"

"As _friends_," Quinn reiterated for the nth time.

"My _ass_," Maxine giggled, wiping the tears of happiness from her cheeks. She held up her hand and began ticking off her fingers. "You're cooking dinner together. You're staying in to watch movies. And you're sleeping over, mind you, it's _Monday_ and your parents actually gave you _permission_. Quinn, that's the cutest fucking Valentine's Day date I've ever heard of in my life."

Quinn blushed and clenched her hands into a fist, fighting the urge to reach over and just close her laptop. It wasn't a date date. They were just . . . spending another day together. It just happened to be on the day that every single couple decided to do something special for their, uh, gal pal forever mates.

"Can you, like, shut up?" Quinn groaned and Maxine just laughed again. The door bell rang and Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God; that's Rachel. So, fuck you very much, I'll talk to yo – "

"Hold up," Maxine raised her hand, "I thought the date was at her place."

Quinn glared at her. It wasn't a date! "It is."

"Oh my God!" Maxine covered her mouth with her hands. "Is she _picking you up!_?"

Quinn looked away, the blush on her cheeks growing embarrassingly prominent. "Shut up."

Maxine threw her head back and guffawed, a hand clutched over her chest. "Oh, stop, my heart can't take anymore preciousness."

Quinn scowled at her friend and stood up, grabbing the top of her screen, "I hate you."

"No, no, no! W-wait-wait one second!" Maxine called out desperately before Quinn could shut her laptop. "Quinn, I have to meet her."

"No."

"It's, like, absolutely necessary that you introduce us right now."

"Max, n – "

"Quinn?"

There was a small knock on her door before Rachel poked her head into the room. She beamed at Quinn who couldn't help but smile and take an unconscious step towards her.

"Hey, Rach."

The brunette skipped towards her and wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist, her head tucked under her chin.

"Hey you," she whispered against the pale collarbone and Quinn tightened her hold around the small diva. Like all the other times they were in contact with each other, the world fell away, angels sang from the heavens, and God shined a light upon th –

"_Ahem_."

Rachel pulled away surprised as Quinn dropped her head to the brunette's shoulder with a soft groan. _Fucking Maxine_. Rachel smiled at Max who had the biggest shit eating grin on her face. She walked towards the computer, dragging a pouting Quinn by the hand, and waved at the webcam.

"Hello," Rachel greeted happily, bending down a little so the camera wasn't cutting off the top of her head. "You must be Maxine."

Max was delighted.

"Why, yes! And you must be the Rachel Berry that's been making my Quinnie-Poo so very happy lately."

Rachel brightened at that and pulled on Quinn's arm so that she was also in view of the camera. She leaned over and placed a kiss on the blonde's blushing cheek, giggling when Quinn's face only got redder. She smiled back at Max.

"Does Quinn say nice things about me?" she asked playfully.

"Only," Max said with a wink and a smirk at Quinn's glare. "And you _are_ the beautiful girl she's told me about. And while I may not have any reference, I'm sure you're more than the talented singer she makes you out to be."

"Oh my," Rachel giggled. She kissed Quinn's cheek again, making her smile, and laid her head on her shoulder. "Quinn never told me you were such a charmer."

Maxine grinned and propped her chin up with her hand."Does Quinn at least tell you that she loves me dearly?"

Rachel smiled and nodded. "All the time."

Max was fucking ecstatic.

"Oh, Quinnie!" she clapped happily, "I love you too!"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "She's absolutely lying."

Rachel nudged Quinn with her hip before tightening the hold on her arm.

"While she likes to say that you annoy her to no end," Rachel said, holding Quinn's head still to stop it from nodding, "I know that she's really saying she loves you with all her heart."

Maxine squealed happily, making Quinn groan. "I love you, darling!"

"Great, we're leaving," Quinn said, grabbing the top of her screen again, "I'll talk to you later."

"No no, wait, you must to say it back first. And you better get used to saying it because once we are together again at NYU, it will be a requirement to tell me every day."

When Rachel pinched her side, Quinn sighed and mumbled, "I love you, too."

Maxine beamed. "Okay, I'll let you two have your non-Valentine's Day date now. It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Rachel."

Rachel smiled and waved. "The pleasure was all mine."

"Oh, Quinnie, I just love her. Don't forget about our Skype date next week, doll face," Maxine blew a Quinn a kiss before the screen went black. Quinn rolled her eyes and closed her laptop; Maxine always tried to hang up first, the bitch. She turned to Rachel and smiled.

"Ready?"

Rachel giggled at her and nodded her head. Quinn led the brunette out of her room after grabbing her overnight bag by her bed. They said goodbye to Quinn's mom and an excited Abigail who was about to leave for her date with Amy. Rachel drove them back to her house which, as a newly licensed driver, made her very proud of herself. Her dads were leaving by the time they got there and Quinn blushed when James gave her a wink and a thumbs up as he was shutting the front door.

Cooking was . . . an experience. Rachel's kitchen had more than enough room to accommodate the two of them, yet somehow they managed to constantly need to reach over, around, and brush against each other for one reason or another. Quinn was sure she had about four near heart attacks in the entire time it took to cook their dinner, which was delicious. But it was nice and she did steal a kiss or two because, fuck it all, it was her imagination.

Rachel's blush and giggle was totally worth it.

After the kitchen was cleaned, they went to Rachel's room, got into their pajamas and watched a musical marathon where, once again, the fates decided that it would be necessary for them to fall asleep together half way through _Chicago_. And that's how Quinn woke up in the middle of the night; her limbs tangled with Rachel's and soft even breathing on her neck. She smiled. This was nice. But then there was a persistent _meow_ at the window and she let out a soft groan, burying her face into the head of brown hair.

_Fucking Jinx_.

Rachel began to shift and Quinn feigned sleep when she slowly sat up and left the bed. The blonde cracked her eyes open to watch Rachel turn off her television, walk to the window and open it up to let Jinx in. She picked the cat up and kissed her on the head before placing her at the foot of the bed where she immediately curled into a ball. Quinn closed her eyes and waited for Rachel to crawl back into bed. The mattress dipped, but Rachel didn't move to get back into her previous position. Quinn frowned; what if Jinx ruined their cuddling time? That fucking cat. But then, a hand softly caressed her cheek and she leaned into it. Quinn allowed a small smile to creep onto her face and she shifted forward to wrap her arms around Rachel. Rachel would think nothing of it; Quinn couldn't be faulted for what she did in her sleep. Her hold only tightened when Rachel tucked her head back under her chin and placed a soft kiss on her collarbone.

They both fell asleep with a smile on their faces.

* * *

_Judy stared out of the glass sliding door at Quinn. She hadn't said much to any of them since they picked her up from the airport. She hardly ate a thing._

_Judy was worried for her daughter. Quinn had never been this despondent, not even after all that happened in California. Leroy and James have informed her that Rachel wasn't fairing much better. She wasn't even sure what happened in New York between Rachel and Quinn. They were perfectly happy before they left for their second year. They showed no signs of breaking up whatsoever._

_She just didn't understand._

_She opened the sliding door and walked over to sit down next to her daughter on the porch steps. She glanced over at Quinn's eyes and frowned; they were red and wet. The occasional sniffles cut through the tense silence of the backyard. Judy sighed._

_"Is there any way I can help you, honey?" she asked softly._

_Quinn stared straight ahead of her and shook her head._

_"I'm fine, Mom."_

_Judy frowned. She wasn't fine. She was _crying_ for God's sake!_

_"Are you sure?"_

_Quinn sniffed again and reached up to wipe her cheeks._

_"I just want to be left alone," she whispered, turning her head to stare pleadingly at her mother._

_Judy hesitated before nodding reluctantly. She placed a kiss on Quinn's forehead._

_"Everything will be okay, baby girl," she told her before standing up and walking back into the house. She closed the sliding door and began to watch Quinn once again. She took a deep shuddery breath and reached up to wipe the tears that had escaped from the corner of her eyes. She shook her head in frustration. She felt so worthless._

_She just wanted her daughter to smile again._

* * *

**January 10, 2011**

Quinn walked out of class and immediately made her way to Rachel's locker. A smile began to form on her face the closer she got to the brunette until she was standing right next to her full on beaming. Rachel looked over at her and giggled.

"I assume Mrs. Bernstein allowed you into her drawing class."

Quinn leaned against the row of lockers. "Even better. I showed her my work and she told me I didn't need to be in the class. So instead she's letting me be a TA where I can draw whatever I want all class."

Rachel smiled proudly and closed her locker, turning to fully face the happy blonde.

"My, aren't you special," she teased. Quinn smirked.

"Don't forget 'talented'."

"So arrogant," Rachel said, lightly pushing Quinn's shoulder. Quinn chuckled, rocking back on her heels.

"I learn from the best," she winked at Rachel who rolled her eyes. "So are you ready for lunch?"

Rachel nodded. "I just have to go talk to my Calculus teacher really quickly, so I'll meet you in the choir room. It'll only take a minute."

Quinn shrugged, "Alrighty."

Rachel beamed, leaned forward and gave Quinn a quick kiss on the cheek before she hurried down the hall towards her math class. Quinn turned to watch her leave, her cheek tingling from that feather light peck. She was sure the goofiest smile was present on her face, but she couldn't find it in herself to give even the tiniest bit of fuck. A dreamy sigh left her lips.

Rachel is so pretty.

"You are so obvious."

Quinn spun around and came face to face with a smirking Abigail. She frowned.

"What?"

Abigail's smirk grew. "You _totally_ like Rachel."

Quinn's eyes widened a fraction and she looked around them to see if anyone was listening to them. The cheerleader rolled her eyes.

"There is no reason to be cautious, dear sister. Even the _blind_ can tell."

Quinn pursed her lips and turned around to walk towards the choir room, knowing that, unfortunately, that wasn't going to end the conversation. Abigail always wanted to talk about things she had no desire to talk about at all.

"It's just a stupid crush," she mumbled.

"It's a _beautiful_ crush," Abby corrected as she skipped beside her sister, "So when are you going to tell her?"

Quinn sighed and stopped outside of the choir room. She turned to shrug at Abigail.

"I was thinking never."

The cheerleader frowned and shook her head. "No, that's not soon enough. I was thinking, like, tomorrow."

Quinn leaned the back of her head against the wall and closed her eyes. That crush was rapidly turning into a completely totaled car. But it was too risky. It wasn't worth it.

"I'm not going to jeopardize my friendship with Rachel just because I have a silly crush," she told her quietly, opening her eyes to stare confidently into Abigail's. "I don't have a chance with someone as wonderful as Rachel. I'll get over her and everything will be fine."

Abigail just smiled sweetly at her.

"Awww," she cooed, leaning forward to pull the soccer player into a hug, "My little delusional muffin."

Quinn rolled her eyes and pushed Abigail away. "You annoy me."

Abigail giggled at her.

"You're lucky I have to meet up with Amy or I'd stay and be downright intolerable," she patted Quinn's head and skipped away, "Until next time, Quinndalonius!"

Quinn sighed and watched Abby leave. Now she was stuck thinking about her "crush", something she chose to ignore the majority of the day. Her brain was going through possible outcomes like it was alcohol on New Years. And, God, the good outcomes were fucking magical. Angels singing, utopia, no lines at Six Flags magical. But then the bad ones just about break her heart until it's nothing but dust to get blown away in the wind. Rachel was the greatest friend she's ever had in her life. If Rachel didn't return her feelings then their friendship would be compromised. She will go to her grave keeping her feelings a secret if it was the only way to ensure that their relationship would stay intact. She couldn't lose it.

She just couldn't.

When the brunette walked around the corner and beamed at her, Quinn couldn't help but swoon.

A friendship with Rachel Berry was far from the worse thing possible if the brunette continued to smile at her like that.

* * *

_Abigail stood in front of Rachel's house, shuffling her feet nervously. She didn't know if this was going to be such a great idea, but she needed to talk to her. She needed to try and fix things for them. She refused to let them end. Period._

_She hurried up the walk and knocked on the door. Three knocks, pause, two knocks. She heard slow, tired footsteps trek down the stairs and she bit her lip. The door cracked open revealing a red-eyed, exhausted Rachel. Abigail gave her a strained smile._

_"Hey, Rachel."_

_Rachel opened the door a little more and leaned her head against the doorframe, her eyes locked onto the ground._

_"Hi, Abby," she whispered. Abby frowned and twisted her fingers together. Rachel couldn't even look at her. Abigail was breaking her heart by just looking like Quinn. The blonde just wanted to pull the petite girl into a hug until she started smiling again. She sighed._

_"Listen, Quinn can be an idiot sometimes," she told her seriously. "You just have to wait for her to come around to reason. She loves you."_

_"Quinn doesn't want to be with me," Rachel corrected her quietly. She closed her eyes. "Our relationship is over."_

_Abigail shook her head frantically, but it was no use because Rachel still wasn't looking at her. None of this made any sense to her._

_"But you _love_ each other."_

_Rachel opened her eyes and finally turned to meet desperate blue ones. Abigail's frown deepened; Rachel's eyes were completely void of any emotion._

_"I just want to forget I ever knew her."_

_Abigail dropped her eyes to the ground. Her heart hurt. This was a rare sensation. She didn't like it._

_"I don't want our friendship to end because of this."_

_She looked back up at Rachel in time to see her shake her head. She stood up straighter and gripped the door._

_"I'm sorry, Abigail."_

_Rachel backed up and closed the door softly in Abigail's face. Abby stared at the wood for a few stunned seconds before turning around and walking away. Her eyes stung with tears._

_She failed them._

* * *

**December 31, 2010**

Quinn wrapped the blankets around her legs and leaned back into the couch cushions as a much smaller Luck and Jinx came over to keep her company. Her mom was at a friend's and her sisters had gone to some shindig or whatever. She had been invited to a couple of New Year's parties and turned them all down with a smile on her face. She had no desire for parties. She had no desire to drink. She had no desire to be around a crowed of loud drunk people. If she started her New Year's quiet and alone with just her animals, perhaps that's how her entire year will be. While that sounded terrible and boring to most people, it was fucking awesome to Quinn.

Just as the opening monologue to _The Powerpuff Girls_ came on, there was a knock on the door. Luck shot off the couch and barked jovially at the front door as Quinn grabbed the remote and paused her show. She looked at the clock and frowned in confusion; there was about an hour and a half before the new year. Who the hell would be home now?

She stood up, Jinx following on her heels, and walked over to the front door. She nudged Luck out of the way with her hip and opened the door, immediately wrapping her arms around herself.

"Rachel," she breathed out surprised.

Rachel smiled at her shyly and waved. "Happy New Year."

Quinn reached forward and pulled her inside, closing the door behind her to keep out the cold. She watched Rachel wait until Luck sat down at her feet before she patted him on the head and then bent down to pick up Jinx with a small smile on her face.

This girl was so fucking adorable.

"I thought you said you were going to Puck's party," Quinn said as she helped Rachel out of her jacket and hung it up on the coat rack.

"I did, but lost interest very quickly," she dropped her eyes to Jinx nervously. "I didn't want to go back home where I would be alone for the New Year so I thought that m-maybe we could ring it in together."

Quinn bit her lip to keep the beaming smile from making her look like a fucking creep. She rubbed the back of her neck and glanced back at the television screen.

"I hope you like _The Powerpuff Girls_."

Rachel looked up and smiled, nodding excitedly. Quinn led her to the couch and the two of them revisited their childhood that was filled with sugar, spice, everything nice, and a nice gallon of chemical X. With the blanket over them (Quinn conveniently forgot to bring up the fact that she has another) and the animals cuddled up to them, it was actually rather warm. But she would sit in the fiery pits of hell if it meant that Rachel would cuddle up to her, lay her head on her shoulder and play with her fingers.

After a discussion about why Bubbles was the best Powerpuff which was borderline scientific, Quinn changed the channel to watch the ball drop in New York. Rachel immediately got a dreamy look in her eyes.

"I can't wait until I'm there watching the ball drop in person," she whispered. Quinn glanced down at Rachel and back to the television screen. She couldn't stop her mind from wandering; they're in the middle of a sea of chanting, cheering, drinking people. Her arms are around Rachel's waist from behind, chin propped snuggly on her shoulder. When the ball dropped, they would kiss. They would start the new year in love. It would never happen, she knew.

But it was always nice to dream.

"I can't wait to be there either."

Rachel leaned back to look at Quinn, her expression a mixture of surprise and hopefulness. She smiled.

"Are you planning on continuing your life endeavors in New York?"

Quinn chuckled and nodded.

"I've always wanted to go to NYU and study art," she shrugged, turning back to the TV screen. "It was a dream that I didn't think could ever come true."

Rachel squeezed her fingers. It was her quiet show of support and Quinn really appreciated it. They never really talked about Russel, but Rachel knew enough to understand that it was a topic that was still too fresh in Quinn's mind to talk about. Instead she leaned her head back on the blonde's shoulder and laced their fingers together.

"We could be roomies," she whispered against her shoulder.

Quinn nodded with a small smile. The next best thing. "I would like that."

Rachel turned her head to hide her grin against Quinn's arm. The countdown began; an echo of miniature people shouting it from the small screen. Quinn and Rachel stared at each other for the entire ten count. At one, the crowd exploded in cheers and Quinn's first sight of 2011 was Rachel's smile.

"Happy New Year, Quinn," she whispered.

Quinn leaned forward and captured Rachel's lips in a firm kiss, smiling when Rachel immediately responded. There was no way in hell Quinn was going to spend their last New Year's together not kissing. When they pulled apart breathlessly, Rachel tried to glare at her for breaking character, but the happy smile rendered it completely useless. Quinn chuckled, pulling Rachel closer by her waist.

"Happy New Year, baby," she said quietly, placing a kiss to side of her head.

If spending her New Years with Rachel meant that that's how she'd spend the rest of the year, friends or girlfriends, then that was just fucking fine with Quinn.

* * *

_Santana opened Quinn's bedroom door and leaned against the doorframe, watching Quinn sit huddled on the roof just outside of her window. She crossed her arms and frowned; she didn't know how to deal with Quinn when she was like this. That weird concerned pain in her heart was making her nauseas. She stepped forward into the room and closed the door with a soft click. Quinn barely glanced over her shoulder before turning back to the sky and ignoring Santana's appearance. The Latina pursed her lips and walked towards the window, hopping out onto the roof and sitting down next to the blonde. She looked over at Quinn and frowned; tears leaked steadily down her cheeks but her face was a mask of eerie calmness._

_"Hey, Quinn," she whispered. The blonde glanced over at her again before pulling her knees closer to her chest._

_"Hey," she croaked out._

_Santana frowned and turned around to close her window. Quinn looked at her confused and Santana reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small, skinny medical container that had a joint in it. She pulled it out and lit it up, taking a deep drag. She blew the smoke out to the sky and held it out to Quinn. Quinn stared at the joint for a moment before reaching over and taking it. She took a couple of hits and passed it back, leaning back into Santana who wrapped an arm around her shoulder._

_They smoked in silence until the roach was dead and they stared up at the stars. Santana was here to offer a shoulder and that's it. She's never been good with comforting people. If it were anyone else, she wouldn't have even bothered._

_But this was Quinn._

_She grew up with Quinn. Even the years when the Fabrays were in California, they still spoke to each other at least once a day. They saw each other at cheerleading competitions where Quinn won the title for her squad twice. That bitch. She loved Quinn. And Santana Lopez didn't love very many people in her life. That honor was reserved only for those that were special to Santana._

_She placed a kiss on top of Quinn's head and leaned back against the house. After about a minute, Quinn gripped her t-shirt in her hand._

_"Am I an idiot?" she whispered._

_Santana tightened her hold around Quinn and sighed. She wanted to say yes. She wanted to turn Quinn around and bitch slap the hell out of her. Grab her shoulders and shake her until she becomes fucking reasonable again. But she's been in a situation like Quinn's. She understood her. Probably more than anyone else did._

_"You're scared, Quinn," she told her quietly. She leaned her head on top of hers. "You'll be brave when you can be."_

_Quinn didn't say anything. Santana closed her eyes and sighed again._

_"I just hope you can be brave before it's too late."_

* * *

**December 18, 2010**

Rachel wrapped her arms around Quinn, trapping her arms to her side, and pouted up at her.

"_Please_, Quinn," she said, tightening her hold, "Sleep over tonight?"

Quinn smirked as she tried to lean away from Rachel. They were standing on the Fabray's front porch after Quinn had taken Rachel out to dinner for her birthday. After their walk in the park, Rachel chased Quinn back home to try and persuade her to spend the night. Forget the fact that Quinn loved sleeping at the Berries and was just refusing so she could see Rachel beg.

"Nope," Quinn turned her face away, "I'm sleepy. I should just go to bed."

Rachel shook her head, pulling their bodies flush together. "No, you should come over and go to bed there."

"But that's _so_ far away."

"_Quinn_."

The blonde looked down at Rachel and the smile immediately dropped from her face. The big brown eyes that looked up at her slowly began to well with tears.

"Rachel, _don't_," she moaned as she struggled to get out of the brunette's hold. "Come on, that's cheating."

"Just come over, Quinn," Rachel sniffed. "Pretty please?"

Quinn groaned and looked up towards the sky. How is she supposed to win anything against this girl? It was physically impossible for her to not do whatever Rachel asked of her.

God, it was _fantastic_.

She dropped her head to look at Rachel's teary eyes and sighed. "I have to go get a bag of clothes."

Rachel beamed at her and jumped up and down as she hugged the blonde excitedly. Quinn was finally able to free her arms and she wrapped them around Rachel's neck, milking the hug for all it was worth and then some, before grabbing the brunette's hand and leading her into the house. They made their way up to Quinn's room so she could back an overnight bag while Rachel browsed through some of her sketches on her dresser. When she walked out of her closet with the last of her clothes, she looked over at Rachel to find her staring at intently at one of her drawings.

"Rach?"

The diva looked up at her, her eyes swirling with an unknown emotion that made Quinn's heart skip a beat. She held up the drawing and Quinn blushed.

"You drew this?"

Quinn looked away and walked over to her bed to drop her clothes into her bag before making her way over to Rachel. She ran her eyes over the sketched lines and smiled; it started as a doodle in her AP U.S. History class that took a life of its own and created an obscure image of Rachel. The same obscure image that was on the sketchbook Rachel gave her a year later. She looked up at Rachel with a small nod.

"Yeah," she answered quietly, rubbing the back of her neck, "It's just a sketch."

Rachel looked down at the drawing and smiled. She traced her fingers along the drawn lines.

"You make me look beautiful," she whispered.

"You _are_ beautiful."

Rachel's eyes met hers for a brief moment before they dropped shyly, a special sort of smile blossoming on her face. She fiddled with the corner of the drawing.

"Can I have this?"

Quinn arched an eyebrow surprised. Honestly, she'd forgotten all about that drawing until today. She reached over and picked out a pen from her desk and took the drawing from Rachel's hand. In the bottom right corner she wrote:

_Happy Birthday, beautiful._

Her signature went under it. She handed it back to Rachel with a smile.

"Happy birthday, Rach," she said quietly. The beaming smile that she received was something dreams were made of. Her dreams. Rachel bit her lip before leaning up on her toes to kiss Quinn's cheek.

Quinn turned her head to capture Rachel's lips with her own. She grinned; she loved these stolen kisses. They were different. How ironic it was that the imaginary kisses are the ones that felt the most real. When they pulled away, Rachel hit her lightly on the side.

"You weren't supposed to do that," she whispered with a smirk.

Quinn just smiled and captured her lips again.

* * *

_Santana dropped her book bag on the floor by the door and stretch out her exhausted muscles. Finals were really starting to kill her and she was definitely looking forward to this bomb ass nap that was about to happen. She walked into the living room and froze._

_Brittany sat on the couch with a very deep frown on her face, looking down at a light yellow card in her hands. Santana's heart dropped. She was hoping to explain everything to the blonde before she saw the note._

_"Britt," she said quietly._

_Brittany looked up at her and Santana's heart broke at the tears that shined in them. She shook her head._

_"I don't understand," she whispered._

_Santana bit her lip and walked slowly towards, taking a seat on the couch next to her. She grabbed the card from Brittany's hands and read the words that have been on repeat in her head all day._

Rachel Berry has had Quinn Fabray erased from her memory.

_The Latina wrapped her arms around her girlfriend._

_"Rachel is really hurt right now," she explained softly, "A lot of people are worried for her. Forgetting Quinn . . . she thinks it'll help. And when she does this, we can't ever mention Quinn to her again."_

_Brittany shook her head. "But Quinn loves Rachel. They love _each other_."_

_Santana sighed and tossed the card on the coffee table. "I know, baby."_

_"San," Brittany sniffed, looking up at her as a tear trailed down her cheek. "Is this real?"_

_Santana closed her eyes._

_"Yes," she whispered. She had researched it all last night. It was completely legit._

_"What about us?" the dancer asked and Santana looked to her confused. "If Rachel was our friend because of Quinn, will we still be friends when she forgets her?"_

_Santana frowned. She never thought of that. She had actually grown to like Rachel. She wasn't bad at all._

_"I don't know, B," she answered quietly._

_Brittany whimpered and cuddled into the Latina, hiding her face against her shoulder and wetting her t-shirt with her tears. Santana held Brittany tightly as she cried._

_She hated this. She absolutely fucking hated this._

* * *

**December 8, 2010**

Quinn went to her locker with a smile on her face. Ever since Finn and Rachel's break up, they've been spending a lot of time together and suffice it to say; she fucking loved it. She was even humming. She closed the metal door and turned to make her way to Rachel's locker down the hall, but was met with a slushie bitch slap to the face. She gasped out, her eyes squeezed shut to keep out the corn syrup trying to eat away at her retinas. The hallway erupted in a chorus of shocked murmurs around her. Someone stood in front of her and had reached up to wipe the slushie away from her eyes and she opened them to find a concerned Rachel.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly. Quinn nodded and they both turned at the clash of metal. Sam had a football player pinned to the lockers with his forearm, his expression livid. Santana was next to him, scowling into the boy's face.

"I guess you don't fucking listen," she sneered, "The Fabrays are _off limits_."

The football player struggled slightly against Sam's hold, not wanting to show just how terrified he was of the Latina.

"Come on, Lopez," he said quietly, "It wasn't even my fucking idea."

"Then you have three seconds to tell me whose idea it was before I go finds me one of my softball girls and borrow one of their aluminum bats," she leaned forward until they were nose to nose, her fist shaking by her side. "Trust me; you will be pissing blood until you're _transparent_."

"It was Hudson," the boy answered quickly, leaning his face away from Santana's. "He just told me to slushie the girl, he never told me what for."

Sam slammed him into the locker again before taking off down the hall, no doubt on his way to find Finn. Santana smiled at the football player and patted him on the cheek before bringing up her knee and ramming it into his crotch. Quinn didn't get to see what happened next as Rachel grabbed her hand and led her to the nearest bathroom. Quinn walked over to the sink and turned the nozzles to splash water on her face, scowling at the blue ice chunks and food coloring that swirled down the drain. She reached over and grabbed a paper towel and dried her face.

"Those actually kind of hurt," she mumbled as she threw the paper towel into the trashcan.

Rachel just nodded her head and made a small noise of agreement before turning to grab the chair that was sitting in the corner. She set it in front of the sink and motioned for Quinn to take a seat. Quinn sat down and frowned at Rachel as she pushed her shoulder back and began to wash the little bit of slushie out of her hair. The brunette was angry and tense, but her hands were gentle as they ran over her face, her neck, her scalp. When she turned off the water, Quinn let Rachel dry off her face with a paper towel. Finally, Quinn reached up and stilled Rachel's hands with her own.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

Rachel looked down at her, her eyes swirling with frustration and something else that made Quinn's heart race. Hopeful imagination, she thought to herself, that's all it is. Rachel closed her eyes and sighed

"I'm sorry about all of this, Quinn," she whispered.

Quinn shook her head, "You didn't do anything. Hell, I didn't even do anything. Finn is just an idiot."

"He's jealous," Rachel mumbled lowly as she turned to toss the paper towels into the trash can. Quinn was confused.

"Why would he be jealous of me?" she breathed out.

Rachel turned back around and stared down at her silently. She bit her lip, and Quinn's hopeful imagination ran wild as she watched Rachel's eyes drop to her lips very briefly. Was Rachel leaning closer? Was the bathroom getting smaller? Where were they? What the fuck is going on?

The bathroom door opened and Quinn turned away to see Abigail walk in with a soccer shirt, sweatshirt and a towel. She smiled at them, unaware that she was interrupting anything.

"Oh, look, you're covered in my favorite flavor," she tossed Quinn the shirt and towel at her. She bounced on her heels excitedly. "So the word in the hallway is, apparently, Sam almost kicked the poo out of Finn. Beiste caught up with them just in time to intercept. I predict Finn will be looking for you, Rachel."

Rachel scoffed. "I have _no_ desire to see Finn."

Quinn hid her smile as she wet a paper towel and went into the stall to change out of her drenched shirt and stained jacket. She took off her bra and wiped down her chest with the paper towel before throwing on the shirt and sweatshirt. When she walked out, only Rachel was left in the bathroom leaning against the sinks, lost in thought. Quinn walked forward until she stood toe to toe with the brunette.

"Hey," she murmured, nudging her side with her elbow. Rachel looked up at her with big brown doe eyes and Quinn gave her a small smile. "Don't worry about Finn. He's not worth it."

Rachel's lips quirked upwards and she leaned forward to wrap her arms around Quinn. The artist dropped her soiled clothes into the sink so she could wrap her arms around Rachel shoulders. She placed a kiss on the bed her brown hair before laying her head on top of Rachel's. She closed her eyes and let the foolish grin blossom on her face. Rachel totally liked her during this time; dear God, she was in _so_ much denial it was ridiculous.

The small diva laid her head against Quinn's chest and sighed.

"Finn is such an asshole," she whispered against the pale flesh.

Quinn could only laugh.

* * *

_Nora looked over at Quinn as she slipped into her room and shut the door behind her. Nora sat on her bed and waited, putting her book aside. She observed her sister with a frown; she looked sick. Her eyes were red. The dark circles under her eyes shone prominently against her pale skin. She didn't think she'd heard the artist talk the entire time she's been her._

_Quinn walked towards her, her bottom lip quivering._

_"Nora," she whimpered brokenly._

_The older Fabray opened her arms and Quinn immediately crumbled into her embrace, crying into her shoulder. Nora kept her moth closed and her eyes shut as she held her sister for hours. It was like when they were younger and Quinn would have a nightmare or Daddy would scream at her for making a mistake that every little kid makes. Nora would hold her, sing to her and tell her everything would be okay_

_It was different this time._

_She didn't know if anything would be okay after this._

* * *

**November 20, 2010**

Quinn was sitting in the back of the of the choir room next to Amy with Abigail's legs over both of their laps, talking to Santana, Brittany and Sam, who sat on the risers below, her about the upcoming sectionals when the door burst opened. When Puck, Rachel and Finn stomped in one by one, each in different varying stages of pissed off, the entire glee club (and Mr. Shue) stopped what they were doing and paid attention because this was bound to be better than _Pacquiao vs. Mayweather_. Puck ran his shaking hands through his mohawk as he walked up the risers, looking about ready to explode.

"Someone needs to get that boy away from me before I rip off his _fucking face_," he growled.

Rachel went to follow him. "Noah – "

Finn grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him. "You can't hang out with him anymore."

Rachel ripped her arm away furiously, taking a couple steps away from him.

"_I_ choose who I interact with," she sneered at him, "Not _you_, Finn."

"I'm your _boyfriend_!"

"Even if you were my _fathers_, I would not allow you to control my life to the extent of choosing my friends _for_ me!" she told him loudly.

Finn was turning red, his eyes darting back and forward between Puck and Rachel.

"Are you cheating on me with him?"

Rachel threw her hands in the air in exasperation, staring at Finn in disbelief. "Oh my _God_, Finn!"

"I'm done," Puck said and sat heavily down in the chair next to Sam, "I'm so fucking done with this conversation."

"I am _not_ cheating on you!" she shouted at him angrily, "There is _nothing_ going on between Puck and me. I don't know how many times the _both_ of us have to tell you!"

"I saw you with him!" he shouted at her, stepping up to tower over Rachel, "You were _all over_ him!"

"It was a _hug_," Rachel emphasized for what must've been the billionth time. "In order for me to give hugs, our bodies must be _touching_."

Finn looked flustered and furious at being made to look like an idiot. He turned his anger back on Puck and began to stomp towards him, pushing the empty chairs out of his way.

"Don't touch her again," he growled in the mohawked boy's face.

"Finn!"

Puck glared up at him. "I _beg_ you to throw the first punch. It would make my fucking day."

"Okay, I think I've seen enough," Santana interrupted and stood up from her seat. She turned to Rachel with a roll of her eyes. "Your boyfriend is the biggest hypocrite I have ever met in my life."

Finn stared hard at Santana while Rachel looked confused.

"What are you talking about?"

The Latina didn't even try to hide her smirk.

"When you went to New York last winter, Mr. Finn Hudson here," she patted the tall boy on the back who was seemed to be paling by the second as he stared at Rachel, "Came to visit me."

She didn't need to say anymore as Rachel's eyes snapped to Finn's desperate ones. A range over emotions flashed through her eyes before they settled on a mixture of anger and devastation. She shook her head.

"You told me you were a virgin," she whispered as her eyes began to water.

"Rachel," he croaked out, "I can expla – "

"_Shut up_," she hissed at him. Santana looked proud. Rachel looked around at everyone else. "Did everyone know?"

Everyone was silent, but had nodded their head in the affirmative. Quinn was the only one who sat stock still. She had known. Santana had told her a month ago. And when Rachel's eyes lingered on hers, she wondered why she never said told her. Rachel looked back at her boyfriend before turning on her heel and stomping out into the hallway, Finn following on her heels. Everyone left in the choir room scurried to the small window by the door, pulling back the blinds so they could watch them arguing. They couldn't hear them clearly, but Rachel seemed to be tearing Finn a new one.

At the end, Finn stormed away and out of the building and Rachel slumped sideways against the lockers as the tension drained from her body. Quinn stepped away from the group and walked out of the choir room, thankful that Santana bagan to shoo everyone away from the window. She crept up behind Rachel until she was right behind her and placed a comforting hand on the small of Rachel back.

"Hey," she whispered, "Are you okay?"

Rachel sniffed and wiped at her eyes, only turned her head to look in Quinn's direction over her shoulder.

"You knew he had sex with Santana?"

Quinn leaned her head against the lockers and dropped her eyes to the ground.

"I wanted to tell you," she admitted quietly, "But it wasn't my place. It's not any of my business."

"But it was _my_ business," she said frustrated. "And no one bothered to tell me until a year had passed and I had already given him my _virginity_."

A silence fell over them and if Quinn wasn't leaning against the lockers, she would've fallen. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest as memories assaulted her brain. This situation was too familiar to her. She felt sick.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered brokenly, dropping her hand from Rachel's back.

Rachel grabbed her hand and turned around to pull her into a hug. Quinn wrapped her arms tightly around the diva's shuddering form, burying her nose into the heavenly smelling brown hair. She willed the tears from her eyes because Rachel needed her now. She waited until she had calmed down and relaxed in their embrace before Quinn pulled away to wipe the tears from the brunette's cheeks.

"Are you okay?" she asked again. Rachel gave her a teary smile. She shrugged.

"I will be," she replied and tucked her head back under Quinn's chin. "It doesn't hurt as much as I always thought it would."

Quinn hummed and smiled, kissing her on the head. She knew now that she was the reason why Rachel got over the break up so easily. She couldn't help but feel smug. Pleased as motherfucking punch. They stayed in their embrace for a few more long moments before Rachel pulled away, wiping the last remnants of tears from her face. She smiled gratefully at Quinn for being there for her.

"Come on," she grabbed Quinn's hand and began to lead her back to the choir room. "Finn is no reason to skip Sectionals rehearsal."

Quinn smiled as she followed Rachel, already thinking of places she could hide Finn's body.

* * *

_Finn and Puck stared unblinkingly at the television screen as they shot the zombies that were running at them. If zombies really did have the ability to do half of the things in this game, Puck was sure that society would be fucking screwed. Finn groaned when his character was incapacitated for the third time and died. She set his controlled on the ground and leaned back in his chair. He glanced over at Puck._

_"So, did you get that weird letter in the mail? The one about Rachel and Quinn?"_

_Puck glanced over at him for a brief second before returning to the game._

_"Yeah, what about it?"_

_Finn was quiet for a moment as he watched Puck try to fend off a horde of zombies while the computers did absolutely nothing. He turned back to Puck._

_"You think it's real?"_

_"I know it's real," he mumbled, throwing a Molotov at a Tank, "I talked to Rachel a couple of days ago."_

_Finn's eyes widened. "So she really doesn't remember anything?"_

_Puck paused the game, dropped his controller to the floor, and turned to face Finn._

_"Listen," he said quietly, "No, she doesn't remember anything about Quinn, but if I find out that you're trying to get back together with Rachel, I will kick your ass."_

_Finn scrunched up his eyebrows and looked confused. He shook his head._

_"Why would I try to get back together with her?"_

_Puck leaned back. "What?"_

_"Dude," Finn chuckled like Puck was just being silly and picked up his controller again, "Rachel doesn't like me."_

_"No," Puck said slowly, sitting back in his chair. "She doesn't."_

_"Because she still loves Quinn."_

_"But she doesn't remember her."_

_Finn shrugged._

_"So?"_

_Puck arched an eyebrow and let out a disbelieving chuckle. Finn was reasonable? Finn was sensible? What the hell was wrong with the universe? He shook his head, patted Finn on the back and unpaused the game, not hesitating to go over and rescue Finn's character out of a room so he could play beside him once again._

* * *

**October 31, 2010**

Quinn smiled at all the little kids as they ran past her in their costumes. Screw the Halloween parties; this was just too cute to miss. Who knew there were so many children in Lima? She shoved her hands in her pockets and was distracted by a couple of Cinderllas that she almost ran over an adorable little lion that was coming from one of the houses. The tiny girl looked up at her and grinned.

"_Roar_!" She squealed, her hands held up in the air. Quinn chuckled and dropped to her knees in front of the girl, her hand over her heart.

"My, my," she said with a smile, "You're very scary."

The lion looked proud as she played with her tail. "Rachie says I'm Queen of the jungle."

"Rachie?"

"Hello, Quinn."

The blonde looked up to find Rachel with cat ears peeking through her hair, grinning down at her. She placed a hand on the little girl's shoulder who smiled happily up at her. Quinn's heart was about to run out of her chest.

"Hey, Rach," she greeted with a small smile.

Rachel dropped her eyes bashfully to the little girl with a blush, running her fingers through the furry mane. "I see you met Sara."

The little lion beamed and held out her paw. "Hello, I'm Sara."

Quinn chucked and shook her hand.

"Hi, Sara. My name is Quinn. I'm one of _Rachie's_ friends," she smirked at the brunette who rolled her eyes playfully.

Sara looked excited. "You should go trick or treating with us!"

"Oh, I don't know honey, Quinn might have oth – "

"I'd love to."

The little lion squealed and ran forward to give Quinn a hug. The blonde met Rachel's eyes over the little girl's shoulder and Rachel was smiling down at her so happily it made her heart skip a beat. Sara grabbed her and Rachel's hands and dragged the two of them to the next house. They waited on the sidewalk as the little lion waited in line for the candy.

"You really didn't have to come with us, Quinn," she said quietly, glancing over at the blonde in her peripherals.

"I _wanted_ to come," she smiled at her sincerely, nudging their hips together. "This is much better than anything else I had planned tonight. Besides, she's freaking adorable."

Rachel chuckled and nodded in agreement. Sara skipped over to them with a sucker already in her mouth, grabbing their hands again to lead them to another house. After another block of houses, Rachel and Quinn walked the little girl home as she swung between them with their hands. She lived just down the street from Rachel and before she left, she gave Quinn one of the biggest hugs she's ever received in her life. Sfter they made sure she got into the house safely, Rachel hooked their arms together and slowly began to walk to herhouse.

"Thanks for coming along, Quinn," she whispered, laying her head on the blonde's shoulder. "That was really nice of you."

"I was happy to," Quinn smiled. She bit her lip. "I'm surprised Finn isn't here."

Rachel was quiet for a moment before she sighed.

"Finn said he would much rather go to Puck's Halloween party than come with me to take that cute little lion trick or treating."'

Quinn hummed, trying to keep the scowl from her face. It ended up being in vain because Rachel gave her a small knowing smile.

"You don't like Finn very much, do you?"

Quinn looked away and shrugged. No, she hated him.

"He just doesn't seem to . . . _care_ that much about you," she answered quietly. She felt Rachel shake her head on her shoulder.

"He tries," she whispered almost too quietly, but Quinn heard it clearly and it made her angrier. He _tries_ to care for his girlfriend? Who does that? Why is she still with him?

They stopped in front of Rachel's house and faced each other nervously. Rachel glanced back up at her house and bit her lip.

"Did you have plans tonight?"

Quinn let herself smirk at Rachel's bashfulness. "Nothing special. Why?"

The nervous brunette stepped closer until their toes were touching.

"Usually on Halloween I watch a few scary movies that make me too afraid to go to sleep. And this year, my fathers are stuck at work so I would be alone," Rachel blushed and looked down at her feet. "C-can you watch them with me?"

Quinn smiled and made a show of thinking about it. She even stroked her chin.

"I don't know if I'll be able to sleep by myself if I watch scary movies," she said thoughtfully. She smiled at Rachel. "Will you let me borrow some pajamas?"

Rachel beamed and nodded her head relieved and wrapped her in a happy hug. "Thank you so much, Quinn!"

She pulled a giggling Quinn up the porch steps and into her house. They got into their pajamas before crawling under Rachel's bed covers and turning off all of the lights so only the TV illuminated their surroundings. It was a slew of original scary movies; _Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Children of the Corn, It_. By the end of the movie marathon, Rachel was tucked securely against Quinn's body practically shivering. When Quinn turned off the TV to blanket them in darkness, Rachel actually moaned in fright. Quinn chuckled and wrapped her arms around the diva.

"I got you, Rach. I won't let the monsters get you," she whispered and she felt a small smile against her collarbone. With Rachel's front flushed against hers, she could feel the frantic thumping of her heart. At first she had mistaken it for fear, but this time she wondered if maybe . . . could it be possible?

"Did you like me at this time?" she asked into the head of brown hair. She felt Rachel's smirk against her skin and she immediately knew the answer. God damn it, she wanted to get up and dance. How could she have been so blind? It was so _obvious_ to her now.

"How could I resist you?" Rachel whispered, placing a soft kiss against the pale skin and tightening her hold around Quinn's waist.

Quinn chuckled, closing her eyes.

"I ask myself that same question all the time."

They fell asleep like that, tangled together.

The brightest smiles adorning their faces.

* * *

**A/N: Happy ending! I'm too tired to know how I really feel about this chapter. Hopefully you enjoyed it. **

**In regards to the ****Pacquiao vs. Mayweather ****fight . . . I'm half Filipino. We'll just leave it at that. **


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: Alright. I'm a liar and for that I apologize. I have **_**got **_**to stop making promises I can't keep. But I really thought I'd be able to keep this one! Life happens, you know? Anyway, this is it. The procedure is over. Just the second half of the "prologue" and then this story is over. Long time coming, right?**

**I haven't slept again. I don't think it's healthy how much sleep I've lost over this story, but I think it was fucking worth it. But I didn't proofread this, so excuse the mistakes. When I wake up tomorrow, I'll fix them. I get to sleep in! **

**So here we go. A chapter I honestly never thought I'd get to and now you all get to read. Thank you to everyone who has read, pondered and enjoyed this story.**

* * *

**September 28, 2010**

Quinn leaned against the lockers just outside of the choir room. After a week of constant pleading from Rachel, Abigail _and_ Brittany, she caved in and decided to join glee. She had _loved_ glee; it contributed to a lot of the happiness felt in the last two years of high school. And now she was about to forget it all. She couldn't bring herself to walk forward to open the door and face the club one last time.

"Quinndalonius!"

She turned her head and watched Abigail skip down the hallway, her guitar strapped to her back. She stopped in front of her sister and pulled her into a big hug, swaying her from side to side. Quinn patted Abby on the head.

"Hey, Abigail."

The cheerleader leaned back, beaming.

"Are you nervous?"

Quinn stared at her for a moment before giving her a very small nod.

"Terrified," she whispered. It was like walking into her execution. Abigail smiled at her and linked their arms together, leading her older sister forward to the choir room.

"You'll do wonderfully," she assured her with a pat on the head. "They'll welcome you with open arms."

She opened the door for them and Mr. Schue turned around surprised, right in the middle of his speech to the rest of the club. He smiled at them.

"Finally convinced your sister to join us, I see."

Abigail beamed and nodded, dragging a slightly reluctant Quinn to the front of the club. "She just needed some encouragement."

Schuester smiled reassuringly at her and turned to address the rest of the club. "It looks like we have an audition today, so everyone welcome Quinn and be polite."

He gave a pointed look at Rachel, but the resident diva was smiling so brightly at Quinn it seemed like she didn't even hear him. Quinn blushed and looked nervously down at her shoes when the club gave her a welcoming applause. Brittany gave her an excited thumbs up and Santana smirked at her. She turned to Abigail, who was waving bashfully at Amy sitting in the risers, and nodded her head. Abby pulled up a stool to the front of the class and sat down, turning her guitar around so that it was comfortably set on her lap. Quinn closed her eyes and focused. Originally, she had sung "Lay Me Down" by Under the Influence of Giants, but now she had another song in mind.

It was perfect.

When she opened her eyes and looked over to her sister, Abby gave her gave her a small nod. She turned back to face the front of the club and began to strum out the first notes of the song. Quinn smiled; it worked. She turned to face the club and kept her eyes connected to Rachel's as she sang.

"_Hello. Tell me you know. Yeah you figured me out," _Rachel furrowed her eyebrows at the change of song, "_Something gave it away."_

Quinn glanced at everyone else and noticed that they gave no indication that she changed the song at all. Good.

This was just for Rachel.

"_And it would be such a beautiful moment to see the look on your face. To know that I know that you know now,"_ Quinn closed her eyes, her head lowered. "_And, baby, that's a case of my wishful thinking. You know nothing."_

She took a few steps forward, looking at to meet Rachel's eyes again.

"_Cause you and I, why we go carrying on for hours on end. We get along much better than you and your boyfriend," _she threw a glare at Finn and Rachel covered her mouth as she giggled. Quinn bent down in front Rachel and cupped her cheek. "_Well, all I really want to do is love you. A kind much closer than friends use, but I still can't say it after all we've been through."_

She grabbed Rachel's hand and placed it on her cheek; smiling slightly when a thumb immediately started stroking her skin. "_And all I really want from you is to feel me as the feeling inside keeps building. And I will find a way to you if it kills me, if it kills me."_

Rachel leaned in to kiss her, but she leaned away with a small smile.

"_Well, how long can I go on like this, wishing to kiss you before I rightly explode?" _She laced their fingers together, "_And this double life I lead isn't healthy for me, in fact it makes me nervous. If I get caught I could risking it all."_

She pulled Rachel out of her seat and wrapped her arms delicately around her waist.

"_Well, baby, there's a lot that I'll miss in case I'm wrong."_

Quinn hugged Rachel's body flush against hers as she sang the chorus into her ear. She could feel Rachel grip the back of her shirt, the rest of the club still oblivious to the two of them. She leaned their foreheads together.

"_If I should be so bold, I'd ask you to hold my heart in your hands. Tell you from the start how I've longed to be your man," _Rachel reached up to wipe the tear that leaked from Quinn's eye. _"But I never said a word, I guess I'm gonna miss my chance again."_

She began to lead them in a dance around the choir room as she hummed and then sang the chorus right in front of the glee club, in front of Rachel's boyfriend. They did a lap around the entire room before Quinn dropped Rachel off back at her chair, their foreheads still connected as she softly sang to the brunette.

"_And all I really want from you is to feel me, it's a feeling inside that keeps building. And I will find a way to you if it kills me, if it kills me," _their laced fingers clenched around each other. _"It might kill me."_

When the song ended, Quinn leaned forward to finally catch Rachel's lips in a kiss as the club applauded her loudly. She _will _find her way back to Rachel. That was her body's instinct. And even if Rachel gets relegated to just a faceless entity in her dreams, it was infinitely better than Rachel being erased _completely _from her mind. Because that was _impossible._

She refused to believe otherwise.

Quinn pulled away with a tight smile and gave Rachel's hand another squeeze before she stood up straight and walked back next to Abigail in front of the club. Mr. Schue beamed at her as he clapped.

"Well, I think it's fair to say that everyone approves," he chuckled, "Welcome to the club."

Abigail squealed and ran up to her to give her a tight hug before skipping to the risers to sit next to Amy, a shy smile on her lips. Quinn looked down at her shoes with a blush and walked over to sit in the empty seat next to Rachel. Brittany leaned forward to hug her tightly from behind and Santana looked bored, but gave her the slightest bit of nod. She glanced over at Rachel who was smiling sadly, but proudly at her. They turned back to the front of the class as Schuester began to talk again.

But between them, with minds of their own, Quinn and Rachel's hands found and clung desperately to each other.

* * *

_Rachel shut the door to the apartment and closed her eyes. She waited. She waited for a moment. Two. Three. Still nothing. _

_When it looked like Quinn wasn't going to chase after her, she looked up with a broken, determined expression and walked down the hall. She will not cry here. It was her decision to leave. She was taking control of a situation that was slowly killing her. Quinn doesn't deserve her tears. Not here. _

_She hurried down the stairwell, not having the patience in her to wait for the elevator. She ignored Carl's concerned eyes as he watched her leave the apartment complex, and looked up at the sky, taking a deep shuddering breath. She wanted to be strong. _

"_Rach!"_

_She turned her head to see Andrea and her boyfriend, Adam, waiting by his car. Andrea rushed across the street and wrapped her arm around Rachel's shoulders to lead her away from the remains of her heart. She almost choked on her tears they came up so quickly. She didn't know whose arms were around her shoulders trying to comfort her. She didn't care. _

_Quinn never chased after her. _

* * *

**September 19, 2010**

Quinn brought her hand up to cover her mouth so Abigail wouldn't know that she wanted to laugh at her. The cheerleader bounced nervously on her heels and gnawed on her thumb nail, her eyes staring intently down the hall.

"Just go talk to her," Quinn whispered in her ear, "Amy's really nice."

"I _know _she's nice," Abigail waved her off absently, "Look at her. She couldn't be anything _but _nice."

The artist chuckled and leaned against the lockers. The irony of this conversation was not lost on her.

"Go. Talk. To. Her."

Abigail shook her head softly. She turned her worried blue eyes to her sister's and bit her lip.

"What if she thinks I'm weird?" She whispered.

Quinn frowned. And then she smirked. Abigail never gave a drop of shit about what people thought of her. In fact, it always seemed like she made an effort to be as strange as possible every day of her life. If she was worried about what Amy thought of her, then she must be someone special.

"I guarantee you, Abby, that Amy _will _find you weird, Adderall or no Adderall," she chuckled at her sister's pout, "but I will bet my college savings that she'll adore you very much."

Abigail beamed at that and gripped Quinn's arm excitedly.

"Really? This is happy times, Quinn!" Then she paled, "Oh God, she's coming over here. I haven't prepared for this moment."

Quinn turned to look down the hall and immediately smiled at Rachel who was walking towards them, talking to Amy at her side. Brown eyes found hers in the busy hallway and Rachel waved at her. Quinn raised her hand to wave back. Abby raised her hand in a small, shaky greeting and Amy giggled. The dark haired girls stopped in front of them and Quinn, with a smirk, grabbed Rachel's hand to pull her body into hers. Rachel nudged her in the side with her elbow, rolling her eyes, before relaxing into the embrace.

Her imagination was so good at following directions.

"So what were you guys talking about?" Quinn asked with a grin as she watched Abigail's face get redder and redder under Amy's amused stare.

Rachel laced their fingers together. "We were playing a game. Say a city, name someone famous who's billed from there."

"I was winning," Amy boasted as she smiled at a nervous Abigail.

Rachel shook her head. "And, yet, she still hasn't come up with anyone from her hometown of Lima, Ohio."

"I already told you," Amy turned to roll her eyes at the brunette, "There was a wrestler, I forget his name, but I _swear_ he was billed from Lima."

"Al Snow."

"_Yes_! Oh my God, that's him!" Amy beamed at Abigail, grabbing her wrist in her excitement. Quinn could hear Abigail let out the tiniest of whimpers at the contact. "I can't believe you knew that!"

Abigail could only smile at her, her eye sparkling happily. The warning bell to get to class rang and they continued to stare at each other; Quinn and Rachel were nothing but formless blobs in the background. Quinn smiled.

"Okie dokie, time for class, kiddies," she reached over and nudge them in the shoulders until they started walking down the hall towards their shared class, "There we go, there we go."

Their shoulders were pressed together as they walked and talked softly to each other and Rachel cooed at them against Quinn's arm. They were completely perfect for each other. They set the bar that _every_ couple should try to reach. Quinn and Rachel tried. They might've even reached the bar. That was a life time achievement if there ever was one.

"They are so cute."

"Sure," Quinn nodded and smirked down at Rachel, "But I think we're a little bit cuter."

Rachel giggled. "Just a little bit."

Quinn chuckled and began to lead Rachel down the hall. Rachel frowned and looked over her shoulder.

"Quinn, what are you – our class is the other way."

"Mmhmm," Quinn hummed and tightened her hold around Rachel shoulders the closer they got to the janitor's closet. Rachel began to struggle slightly.

"Quinn, don't you dare!" she warned, though the drop in her voice spoke of anything other than reluctance. "We only have seven minutes to get to class. We have a test today and I refuse to be tardy because you are incapable of keeping your hands to yourself."

"Rach," Quinn husked as she opened the door, the small part of her brain that was paying attention to the world around them noticing that the kids down the hallway were already starting to disappear. She leaned in close to Rachel, their noses touching.

"Why does any of that matter?"

Rachel blinked at her. Then their lips were connected in a hungry passionate kiss and Rachel was pushing Quinn into the closet, shutting the door behind them.

Quinn decided, before all coherent thought became a foreign concept, that if her world were to crumble down around her, much like it was now; making out with Rachel Berry would be _exactly _what she would want to do.

* * *

_Rachel sat in her desk chair with her bed sheet wrapped around her naked body, staring unblinkingly at her bed where, not five hours ago, she'd laid there for the last time with Quinn. Tears ran from her eyes like water from a faucet. Even in the dark, she could see the slight imprints of the blonde's body in her mattress cover. She couldn't lie there anymore. The feel of the cold sheets against her skin made her sick to her stomach. This was it. Their relationship was over. _

_And ending it with sex was like using salt to clog up a large wound. _

_She stood up on shaky legs and slowly made her way to her bathroom. The light hurt her eyes, but was nothing compared to her reflection in the mirror. The sunken eyes, the tear stains, the painful reminders on her neck that Quinn had left in the midst of their passion. Was that really her? She's so broken. How did she allow Quinn to reduce her to this? She opened the drawers, searching for the Nyquil that will bring her sleep, and her fingers stumbled upon the packet of razors for her shaver. She froze. The light gleamed off the blades and into her eye. _

_How easy it would be to just end it all. She would be able to sleep and not have to dream about those hazel eyes or that blonde hair. The pain in her heart and in her head would be gone and she'd never have to feel it again. It would be so easy . . ._

_She slammed the drawer closed and rushed out of the bathroom, shutting the door as if to keep the suicidal thoughts from following her into bedroom. What was she thinking? She couldn't do that to her fathers. She couldn't do that to . . . to Quinn. She crawled on top of her bed, lying on the side that Quinn was laying on. Her warmth had long since disappeared, but her scent lingered there in her sheets, in her pillows. _

_It was comforting as she cried her heart out. _

* * *

**September 9, 2010**

"So what happened?"

Quinn leaned back in her computer chair and stared up at her ceiling, replaying the events at school today.

"I told Coach Sylvester that I wasn't interested in being a cheerleader anymore and that I was going to try out for soccer instead," she recalled with a small smile. It was nice to finally be able to do what she wanted, not what was expected of her. Besides, Lima was her chance to start over, avoid every aspect of her old life and begin her penance. Fuck being Head Cheerleader. Fuck being Prom Queen. Fuck the parties. Fuck popularity.

California Quinn is no longer in existence.

Maxine beamed at her from the computer and clapped her hands. "_Finally_. I've been trying to get you to drop that cheerleading bullshit for years."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "I actually like cheerleading."

"It was like a parasite that made you into a bitch," Max told her, a smirk displayed proudly on her face when Quinn glared at her. "So, what did the coach say?"

"She said I was throwing away a chance to rule the world by not joining the Cheerios," Quinn told her seriously and shrugged. "I told her no, thank you, and said Abigail would be all the Fabray she needed for the squad."

"Did she let Abby on the squad?"

Quinn scoffed. "Of course she did. You've met my sister, right? Tumbling around and flipping in the air is her dream job."

Her cell phone vibrated on the desk and she picked it up to check her text as Maxine chuckled.

"I was just making sure I didn't have to catch a plane out there to kick some ass already," she quipped. She raised an eyebrow at the smile that blossomed on Quinn's face. "What is this? Does my Quinnie Poo have a little crush on someone already?"

Quinn snapped her eyes up to Max's and frowned. "What?"

Max rolled her eyes. "Quinn, you know that I can read your smiles like they were Dr. Seuss books. That particular smile that was on your face a second ago means that the person you are texting right now is starting to tickle your fancy."

When Quinn just stared at her like a deer in the headlights, Maxine sighed and leaned forward in her chair.

"Quinn," she said softly, the joking temporarily on pause, "I am not your mother. I am not your sister. I am not any of your friends in Ohio; in fact, I live practically on the other side of the country. Those things that you are too scared to tell the people that are important to you, you can tell to me. I have seen you at your absolute worst. You can drop your guards around me. I will not judge you, I will _never_ stop loving you, and I won't tell anyone a thing even if I could or if the people that were around me gave even an ounce of fuck. You can continue on with your life as if this conversation never even happened." She smiled at Quinn as her expression changed from terrified to nervous and bashful. "So tell me about them."

Quinn stared down at the text message that glowed on her phone. _I'll call you when I get out of ballet :) Don't forget about our ice cream date tonight, Fabray! – R. _Oh my God, how pathetic was she? Did Maxine seriously figure her out just from a fucking smile to a _text message_? She sighed, tracing her thumb over the diva's name.

"Her name is Rachel," she said softly and looked up to catch Maxine smiling at her. "She . . . she's amazing."

"Gay or straight?" Max asked gently.

Quinn eyes rolled on their own accord at just the very thought of Finn. "She has a boyfriend."

Max frowned at that. "Homophobic?"

"She has two gay dads."

"Ah, well at least you know she's open minded."

"I guess," Quinn shrugged. She dropped her eyes back to her phone. "It's not like I'm ever going to tell her."

Maxine propped her chin up with her hand. Quinn didn't need to tell her why, she knew she understood. She was the only person that was with Quinn during the Lisa thing, beginning, middle, end, and the aftermath. Her bravado was shot. And it's going to take a while for it to heal, especially if Rachel was as special as Maxine expected she was.

"You know Lisa switched schools?" she asked quietly, nearly wincing when Quinn stilled abruptly. Quinn's eyes glanced fleetingly up at hers before dropping back down to her lap and nodding.

"Yeah," she croaked out.

Maxine frowned. She was really terrible at this advice thing. But, damn it, Quinn needed her help. She's going to give it her best shot.

"If you ever decide to . . . do anything about your crush; you know, act on it or just – just admitting it to her," she said slowly, like a lioness would approach her prey to prevent it from running off, "Remember that it's _okay _to like who you like. If it makes you happy and isn't destroying your health, then go for it. Okay?"

Quinn bit her lip. These words had flown right over her head the first time Maxine said them to her. _Everyone _had tried to help her. If she would've just let people help her, she might've been happier than she had ever been in her life. If only she could take it all back.

She typed out a message – _I love you – _and sent it to Rachel with a smile. She looked back up at Maxine and nodded.

"Okay."

Maxine sighed with relief and sagged back into her chair. She smiled widely.

"So, tell me more about this Rachel."

Quinn's phone vibrated and her smile brightened more than the sun.

_I love you, too. _

She looked back up at the computer and proceeded to spend hours telling Maxine all about the girl who's been making her smile more than she has in her entire life.

* * *

_There was a knock on the door and Rachel glanced over her shoulder as Puck poked his head into her bedroom. He opened his mouth to greet her, but was rendered speechless at the boxes scattered around her floor and the new emptiness to her walls. He stepped forward and looked around with a frown before making his way to Rachel and wrapping her in a tight hug. The petite diva clutched to his shirt and whimpered, the tears that were already falling down her cheeks were quickly seeping into the material of his clothes. He kissed the top of her head. _

"_What do you want me to do?"_

_She was silent for a moment, only her sniffles answered him. _

"_The attic," she whispered. "Please."_

_Puck closed his eyes as a wave of frustration rolled through him. He knew what was in those boxes: Quinn. And if Rachel wanted to put the boxes in the attic, a place that she's avoided going to ever since she was a little girl, then that meant . . ._

_He shook his head, placed another kiss on her hair and moved to stack a couple of boxes. Rachel watched him exit out to the hallway and listened to him open the trapdoor to the attic. She knew he didn't want to do this. She knew he didn't agree with the break up at all. _

_She loved him a little bit more for doing it anyway._

* * *

**September 6, 2010**

Quinn walked out of her class and looked around until she remembered the way back to her locker. The first day had gone by alright, as good as any first day of school could be. She was the obvious new girl so she had gotten plenty of offers of friendship and, _ew_, dates. A few 'What happened to your eye?' comments, which were largely ignored.

All in all, it could've been worse.

Someone skipped up beside her and linked their arms through hers, and she grinned. She looked over at a smiling Rachel and shot forward to steal a kiss from her. Rachel slapped her on the shoulder.

"Stop improvising," she chastised, only a little bit serious. She jumped right back into character and beamed at her. "How's your first day of McKinley so far?"

Quinn chuckled and shrugged. "It's school."

Rachel rolled her eyes light heartedly. They turned a corner to the hallway where their lockers were.

"Well, anyway, Finn has a football meeting right now, so would you be against spending lunch with me on the soccer field?"

Quinn smiled. "I'd love that."

They shared small, _flirty_, smiles with each other before their moment was interrupted by the chorus of laughter that sounded throughout the hallway. They looked up to see what the commotion was and Quinn was immediately filled with rage. She untangled her arm from Rachel's and shoved her way through the crowd towards the three smirking cheerleaders and her blue slushy covered sister. She growled and grabbed the Cheerio who had the empty Big Gulp cup in her hand and slammed her into the lockers by her cheerleading top with a silencing _bang_.

"What the _fuck _is your problem?" she snarled into her face.

The cheerleader was startled before she looked down at the hands on her top as if they were composited of only germs. Her cheerleading buddies looked at a loss at what to do.

"Here at McKinley, the _weirdos _stay at the bottom of the food chain," she sneered in Quinn's face, a small smirk playing on her lips and infuriating Quinn just a little bit more. "And when they try to worm their way to the top by trying out for the _Cheerios_, they receive a slushy shower every day until they understand."

Quinn leaned forward, her grip on the polyester tightening until her knuckles turned white.

"Well, how about this? I punch you in the face every day that you fuck with my sister," she growled and reared her hand back to deliver the first one when a hand caught her around the wrist.

"Quinn, _don't," _Rachel whispered desperately into her ear, a calming hand on her back. Quinn's chest heaved. God, just _one_ punch. The bitch deserved it. _No one_ messed with Abigail, least of all not in front of her fucking face. She has it coming.

"And what the _hell _is going on here?"

Everyone turned their heads to see Santana and Brittany part the red sea of students until they came into view. Brittany frowned and immediately made her way to a slightly befuddled Abigail, and Quinn could see just the slightest twitch in Santana's eye when they fell upon the blue slushy that covered her. She almost laughed at the smug smirk on the bitch cheerleader's face. Quinn allowed Rachel to pull her away from the girl and Santana stepped in between them, facing the Cheerio with her hands on her hips. She eyed the big gulp by her feet.

"Did you do this?'

The girl nodded, almost proudly. Santana, in turn, grinned the most evil grin on the face of humanity.

"I was _really _hoping a cheerleader did this," she said sweetly, making the smirk on the girl's lips falter, "because that means _I _get to deal out the punishment."

The smile officially dropped from her face and she paled. "W-what? But she-she's just a _freak!"_

That twitch was back in her eye and this time it was _very_ prominent.

"She also happens to be my _best friend's_ little sister," she said angrily, "Therefore, you just slushied _my _little sister."

The girl's eyes widened and she looked a little sick to the stomach. Santana smirked in her face and turned around to address the entire crowd of students that had stayed during their lunch to watch this whole conversation.

"If anyone's brain wasn't able to comprehend that, I'll put it in simpler terms," she raised her voice to make sure everyone could properly hear her. "The Fabray's are _off limits_. Anyone who fails to follow these rules will have to answer to wonderful ol' me."

When everyone nodded their head, especially after the laser death ray glare she shot at them, she turned back to the trembling Cheerio and chuckled.

"I think we'll start on the track. I really hope you enjoy having your legs," she said conversationally, "because I don't plan on stopping you until they fall off."

The cheerleader whimpered and tried to back further into the lockers. Santana chuckled again and reached up to pat the girl's cheek.

"I'll be a little easy on you," she looked down at her cell phone and bopped her head in contemplation, "You have a minute to get to the locker rooms or you better start saying goodbye to your arms as well. And, _trust me_, I will find out if you're late."

The Cheerio just stared in shock. Santana looked down at her phone again.

"Fifty seconds."

The girl's eyes widened and she shot down the hall, pushing people violently out of her way as she busted out of the doors and ran all the way across campus. Santana smirked at the girl's retreating form before turning her glare on the remaining Cheerios. A frightened shiver ran obviously through their bodies.

"And don't think I forgot about you two," she said, almost gleefully. She looked back down at her phone. "You guys have a minute and a half to get to the locker rooms. And you just wasted twenty seconds standing there."

The two girls shared a looked before booking it down the hall and out of the building. Santana shook her head, shot a sweeping glare at the whole crowd causing them all to disperse hurriedly before the Latina decided to punish them as well, before turning to look at a quietly fuming Quinn and Abigail, who was licking the slushy from her arm. She smiled softly when Brittany reached over to draw a happy face through the slush on Abby's cheek. She nodded at Quinn.

"Go help her get cleaned. Brittany can find her some clothes to change into. I'll make sure those bitches suffer until they pass out."

Quinn gave a small grateful nod to Santana before she turned and sashayed down the hallway. Quinn sighed and walked over to Abigail to pull her arm away from her mouth.

"Stop licking yourself," she chided, with a light-hearted roll of her eye. Abigail pouted at her.

"But it's my favorite flavor. I can't let it go to waste," she whined before she was being pulled towards the bathroom by Brittany. "Who wastes a slushy! Blasphemy!"

Quinn shook her head and Rachel pulled on her wrist to get her attention. The brunette frowned up at her, the space between them almost nonexistent, and reached up to smooth the angry creases in her forehead. Quinn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, leaning into the soothing hands.

"Quinn," Rachel whispered. "Calm down. Abigail's okay."

The blonde exhaled a tense breath, her shoulders sagging forward and into Rachel's body.

"She's my sister," she mumbled. Her job was to protect her. She failed in California. She _needed _to succeed in Ohio.

"I know she is," Rachel said soothingly, running her fingers through Quinn's hair, "And she has a lot of people watching over her at this school. And now _no one _will even think of messing with her, so she's going to be _fine." _She chuckled and shook her head, "I wish _I _had as much protection here as she does."

Quinn lifted her head to lean their foreheads together. She stole another long, closed mouth kiss, reaching up to caress Rachel's cheek. When she pulled away, Rachel couldn't help but smile at her even when she was glaring at her for breaking character once again. Quinn dropped her hand to clutch at Rachel's.

"I'll protect you," she promised softly. She smiled at Rachel's blush and placed a kiss on her forehead before leading her to the bathroom by her hand. If she had to be the one to make sure that Rachel was alright at this school, then that's what she will do. As long as she's here, as long as she's drawing breath, _no one _will hurt this girl.

She would _kill _to protect Rachel.

* * *

_Rachel looked up at the sign above the door and sighed. Lacuna Inc. _

_The answer to all of her prayers. _

_Mike had accidently mentioned this place to Rachel when he was at Kurt's apartment a couple of days ago. That night, she had looked it up and made an appointment. She walked in, looked at all of the broken faces sitting in the waiting room and immediately felt like she belonged. These people were here for that ignorant bliss. They just wanted to smile again. She walked over to the front desk and stared at the receptionist. _

"_Tina."_

_Tina looked back at her, tapping her fingers on the medical forms. She had called Rachel after Mike had told her about his mistake and had tried to talk her out of it, only to be met with a click and silence._

"_Rachel, don't do this," Tina whispered, her eyes pleading, "It's not worth it."_

_Rachel just stared blankly at her. She wasn't going to let anyone talk her out of this. She reached over and grabbed the clipboard from under Tina's hand and went to sit down in the corner to fill them out. Her name was called by the time she finished all of the papers and when Tina didn't reach out to grab the forms, she just dropped them on the desk in front of her. _

_She went through the whole procedure without any complaints and since she had already taken the initiative to get rid of Quinn's things, they used her facebook to map out her memories. It was still painful. They gave her the pill and confirmed that they would be there tonight, right when she fell asleep. _

_Like a couple of guardian angels. _

* * *

**August 16, 2010**

They were only supposed to watch one movie. Seriously. How one movie turned into a marathon and the day turned into the night without them realizing it was beyond them. They forced themselves away from the television long enough to go out for dinner, but then decided that Quinn should pack a bag so she could spend the night and they could watch _more _movies. And that's how they ended up in Rachel's bed at one in the morning, cuddled up because they could, and falling asleep while watching _Airplane!._ Quinn buried her nose in Rachel's hair with heavy eyelids, reveling in the soft breath on her neck as Rachel dosed off on her shoulder. Movie nights were Quinn's favorites. They always ended up falling asleep tangled together.

_Meow. _

Quinn furrowed her eyebrows. That didn't sound like it was from _Airplane!_. She reached over to turn off the TV, blanketing them in darkness, and another _meow _sounded faintly around the room. Was she dreaming? Did she miss the ending? If so, they'd have to watch the entire movie over again. But then Rachel lifted her head to look around and Quinn was just confused.

Rachel turned back to Quinn, squinting at her in the darkness.

"Is that you?"

Quinn snorted and reached over to turn on her bedside lamp, the dim light only hurting her eyes a little as she looked around the room. _Meow. _Rachel spun around and stared at where the _sound _was coming from. She stumbled tiredly from her bed, hesitantly crept towards her window, and gasped.

"Oh my God! Quinn, look!" she opened the window and scooped up a very small Jinx from the roof outside, holding her to her chest. Quinn sprung up from the bed and hurried over to Rachel.

"Jinx!" she scolded, scratching the feline behind her ears. "Jesus, how did you get here? You're so small; you could've gotten yourself killed!"

"You know, people underestimate small mammals," Rachel mumbled, nuzzling her face into Jinx's fur.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Jinx is not a sixteen year old girl. She's a three month old kitten walking around in the dark streets of Lima."

Rachel just smiled down at the kitty and closed her window.

"She just wanted to be with her mommy," she cooed, carrying Jinx with her to the bed. She set her down on the mattress, Jinx in turn crawled to the end of the bed to curl up into a ball, before turning to face Quinn nervously. "I hope you don't mind sharing a bed. I can always sleep in the guest room if it would make you more comfortable."

Quinn had to bite her lip to restrain the _NO! _that threatened to tumble from her lips. She didn't want to seem desperate or creepy. Instead she just shook her head, choosing to stare at Jinx as she answered.

"No it's fine," she said quietly, "I don't mind, really."

She looked up in time to see Rachel smiling softly at her before crawling into her bed. Quinn took a deep steadying breath and joined her, getting into a comfortable position on her side so Rachel wouldn't see just how nervous she was. The light was turned off and she could hear Rachel shuffling around on her side of the bed, could feel her legs brush up against hers under the covers.

"Goodnight, Quinn," was whispered in the dark. Quinn smiled.

"Night, Rach."

She wouldn't go to sleep right away. Despite how tired she really was, she couldn't bring herself to close her eyes and miss the opportunity to observe Rachel in her most vulnerable state. Call her creepy, but, fuck it, there's no one here to know. The pull of her heart, the smile on her lips, the urge to just reach out and touch her were all signs that Quinn understood.

She was really starting to like Rachel.

There was just something about her. And that's the only explanation Quinn could give because she wasn't quiet sure _what _it was about Rachel that drew her. Rachel was just Rachel. Was there any more reason than that? And while at any other time, this revelation would cause a panic attack, now it brought a serene smile to her face. She wouldn't do anything about her feelings; she's a heart breaker and a risky cause. Rachel deserved someone better than that. But their friendship had been growing exponentially this past month and that was enough for Quinn.

Just as she reached out to brush a stray hair behind Rachel's ear, the brunette stirred in her sleep and scooted forward to wrap her arm around Quinn's waist and tuck her face where her shoulder met her neck. Quinn closed her eyes as she tried to settle her pounding heart. Should she move away? Should she wake her up? Should she just . . . lay back and enjoy it? Yeah. That sounded like a plan. She smiled and wrapped her arms around Rachel, burying her nose in the sweet smelling hair. The morning may be awkward, but this was completely worth it.

The smile against her neck told her that Rachel definitely agreed.

* * *

_Rachel sat down on her bed, listening to the silence of the apartment. Kurt was such a good sport about staying at Vince's tonight, especially when he made it clear that he didn't like the entire situation. How did she get such wonderful friends?_

_Quinn was a big reason for that._

_She pulled out the medicinal bottle and poured the little pill into the palm of her hand. How fascinating it was that this small thing holds so much meaning. This was the very destruction of Quinn Fabray. Her heart clenched. What did she do to make Quinn push her away like she did? Was it something she said? Did she annoy her? Anger her? Did Quinn find someone else?_

_Or did Quinn just fall out of love with her?"_

_The tears fell heavily out of her eyes. If that was the case, then Quinn was lucky. She could eat. She could sleep at night. She could smile. If Rachel knew her own heart, and she did, then she was _never _going to love another soul. Quinn was it for her. She was the one who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. To have a family with. _

_If Quinn didn't want her anymore, then what did she have left?_

_Nothing mattered without her. Not school. Not Broadway. Not her friends. Not her life. She couldn't live like this; broken down and tired. Life didn't stop for Rachel Barbara Berry and, _God_, did it hurt. She couldn't be this shell of the girl she once was anymore. _

_If Quinn could move on, then she must do so as well. She will give up the love of her life just to be able to live again. _

_She grabbed the glass of water by her bed and took a sip before swallowing the pill. She lied back on her bed as the room began to tilt and turn. Only one clear thought flittered through her mind as her eyes fell shut and she lost consciousness. _

I love you Quinn.

* * *

**August 8, 2010**

Quinn eyed Sam as they and Santana and Brittany walked through the park, having just caught him up to everything that happened in California when he was gone. There was a scowl on his face and his hand was clenched into a tight fist.

"I'm going to kill your father," he growled. Santana chuckled from in front of them.

"Get in line, Ken. Bitts and I get to kill him first."

Brittany turned her head to smile happily at him and he shrugged.

"I'll cut up the body."

Quinn rolled her eyes. What great friends. "No one is killing my father. You'll never see him again and I need someone to pay for my college."

"Alright, fine, then let's talk about the best part of your story," Santana said as she smirked, "So, boy Blondie, did you know this Lisa chick?"

Sam shook his head. "No, unfortunately. But I've seen her facebook. Nice catch, Quinn."

"Thanks," Quinn grumbled dryly, not at all comfortable with the conversation. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

"Yeah, sure," Sam acquiesced with a smile, "So, when did you realize you were gay?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Probably around the same time I cheated on my boyfriend and lost my virginity to a girl." She reached over to slap Santana's thumbs up away.

"Nora's not a lesbian, right?"

Quinn snorted and pushed Sam's shoulder so that he stumbled sideways. He laughed.

"Come on, I'm blonde now. I have a chance!"

"Shut up," Quinn chuckled. She missed Sam. He always made her smile, even if he had a disgustingly annoying crush on her sister.

"God damn it," Santana growled, looking over at the picnic table, "I can't get a break from these fucking people."

Quinn and Sam looked over at where Brittany was waving jovially and Quinn immediately smiled at the sight of Rachel. One of the boys with the diva looked over at her and tilted his head.

"Is that Quinn Fabray?"

Quinn squinted at him. He had a mohawk that made her want to roll her eyes. But then she saw his face and she could feel a large smile beginning to blossom. She knew that face.

"Puck?"

Puck grinned and rushed forward to pick Quinn up around the waist and spin her around, causing her to giggle and squeal. She hasn't seen him since elementary school. Over his shoulder, she could see Rachel watching the whole scene curiously. She lifted her hand in a small wave and the small brunette returned the gesture with a beaming smile. Puck set her down on the ground and looked down at her. His eyebrows furrowed and he moved his hand to touch the wound on her eyebrow. She caught his hand and shook her head.

"Later," she whispered to him, "We'll talk about it later."

He stared at her. Then he ignored it and placed a kiss on her forehead before nodding at Santana and Brittany. He turned and held out his hand to Sam.

"Hey, man. Puck."

Sam shook his hand. "Sam. I went to middle school with Quinn."

"Oh, sweet," he grinned and led them over to Rachel and the other boy, Santana following a little reluctantly. "You guys aren't dating, are you?"

Both blonde's shook their heads, similar looks of disgust on their facse.

"God, no," Quinn said, placing a hand on Sam's arm. "We're just friends."

The mohawked boy smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. He threw his arm around Quinn's shoulder and pulled her into his side.

"Then how about we go on a date?"

"_Puck_," Rachel chided, throwing Quinn an apologetic glance.

Quinn rolled her eyes and shrugged Puck's arm off of her shoulders. "No, thank you."

Puck pouted. "Why not?"

"Because you don't have a vagina, Puckerman," Santana interrupted, smiling sweetly at Quinn's annoyed glare. This bitch. Puck turned to look at Quinn shocked and then grinned.

"That is so fucking hot."

"Thanks, Santana," she said quietly, ignoring Puck completely. She glanced nervously at the clear surprise on Rachel's face. Her sexual orientation never came up in any of their conversations and she was kind of dreading the talk they were sure to have when they found the time to be alone. Santana patted her hard on the back, the innocent smile still on her face.

"You're welcome, you big dyke," she chuckled and let herself be dragged away by Brittany when she caught sight of the ducks.

Quinn could feel the blush blossoming on her face and she leaned over to punch Puck in the arm for his leering. She stepped away from him and sat down at the picnic table next to Rachel, who was still staring at her as if she was seeing her for the first time. Quinn smiled shyly.

"Hey, Rach."

Rachel shook her head softly and smiled at her. "Hi, Quinn," she said breathlessly. Then she started and turned to face the boy that was blatantly staring at the blonde, "Oh! God, I'm sorry. Quinn, this is my boyfriend. Finn, Quinn. Quinn, Finn."

Finn smiled his dopey smile and after his eyes finished their trip up and down Quinn's body, he held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Quinn."

Quinn ignored his hand completely. Rachel rolled her eyes at her, but Quinn could see that, really, she was just amused. Finn didn't realize anything and kept smiling. Quinn motioned at Sam who was standing off a little to the side, looking slightly out of place.

"This is Sam. He just moved from Columbus. He's going to McKinley, too."

Rachel smiled brightly at him and held out her hand. "Hello, Sam. I'm Rachel."

Sam smiled and shook her hand. "Hey, it's nice to meet you," he greeted and gave Finn an acknowledging nod. Sam was never too fond of Finn. Quinn loved Sam.

"Alright, I gotta get ready for the party tonight," Puck said, still leering at Quinn, but mostly just in jest, "You coming, Finn?"

Finn nodded and stood up. Rachel twisted around to look at him confused.

"You're leaving?"

Finn nodded and shrugged. "Yeah. You don't want to go to the party, right?"

Rachel shook her head slowly. "No, I don't."

"Okay then," he smiled and leaned forward to kiss her, but she turned her head at the last minute so he only got her cheek. He didn't seem to mind and stood up to follow Puck. "I'll see you tomorrow, babe. Nice to meet you guys."

Quinn smiled sweetly at him. "You're an idiot."

He grinned at her and was gone before Rachel even got the chance to say goodbye. Sam and Quinn shared similar looks of annoyance as Rachel stared after Finn with a frown. Quinn gave a subtle nod to Sam and, with an understanding smile, he walked away to go play with the ducks and give them their privacy. Quinn scooted closer to Rachel and placed a hand on the small of her back.

"Hey."

Rachel turned to look at her and smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Hey you."

Quinn, who originally sat there awkwardly at a loss for what to say, put her arm around Rachel's shoulders and pulled her into her side. The brunette immediately melted into her, wrapping her arm around Quinn's waist.

"So, that was Finn."

Quinn chuckled. _He's . . . nice. _"He's an asshole."

Rachel giggled and slapped her in the stomach. "He tries."

Quinn rolled her eyes. Finn _sucked _at trying to do _anything. _They lapsed into a comfortable silence and Rachel laid her head on her shoulder.

"Quinn?" Rachel whispered.

"Hmm?"

She tilted her head up to stare into the hazel orbs. "Are you gay?"

Even though she fully expected the question, she tensed as the anxiety ran through her veins. She cleared her throat and kept the eye contact as she nodded.

"Yeah," she breathed out.

Rachel hummed and laid her head back on her shoulder, completely unfazed. The tension in Quinn's body was released in one big breath of relief.

"Did-did you have a girlfriend?"

Quinn bit her lip, keeping her eyes on Santana, Brittany and Sam playing over by the pond as she answered. The hand that squeezed her heart was unrelenting.

"There was a girl. Her name was Lisa," she spoke quietly. The tears were already starting to form in her eyes. "I – she . . . we had sex. Just once, but . . . I felt more for her in that one moment than I had ever felt for any of my ex-boyfriends."

A silence fell over them and Rachel's hand that was tracing patterns on her back had frozen mid stride. Quinn decided to wait and let Rachel control the conversation. The fact that she would talk about this with the brunette, but not her best friends was not lost on her. Rachel was special. Finally, the fingers on her back slowly began their dance again.

"What happened?" she asked gently. Quinn closed her eyes, leaning her head against Rachel's. What _always _happens?

"I panicked," she whispered brokenly. "You know about my father. I couldn't – I didn't know how to deal with it."

Rachel was quiet as she let this new information sink in. Quinn appreciated the silence. She needed the time to pull herself together. After a moment, enough time for Quinn's heart to stop pounding uncomfortably in her chest, Rachel spoke again.

"How are you dealing with it now without your father?"

Quinn let herself smile. Her life finally had some color with Russel on the other side of the country. She could be herself. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm a lesbian."

Rachel looked up at her, a proud gleam in her eyes as she smiled. A weight was lifted. _Lesbian. _That term made it so official. She couldn't help, but smile. She was a lesbian. She liked women. She liked _Rachel. _So Quinn leaned forward to steal a kiss and, unlike the other times when Rachel would push her away and chastise her, the diva immediately kissed back and tangled her fingers into her hair. When they pulled apart they were breathless, but breathing was the least of their worries. After their lips were swollen and their cheeks were flushed, Quinn stood up and pulled Rachel with her.

"Come on," she said, walking backwards so she could look at Rachel as she talked. "You can spend the day with us."

Rachel resisted a little, still staring at Quinn's lips. "I really shouldn't. Santana doesn't like me very much."

Quinn rolled her eyes and pulled on Rachel's arm until her body was flushed against hers.

"Don't worry about Santana," she said softly, "I want to hang out with you. I'll protect you from the devil."

Rachel chuckled, letting Quinn lead her over to where Sam and Brittany were trying to catch one of the ducks as Santana laughed at them. "Even if she tries to hit me?"

Quinn stopped and turned her head to catch Rachel's lips in a kiss, catching her off guard. Around them, the trees and the grass had begun to sink back into the ground as if they were watching the growing process in reverse. Their friends had already disappeared. When they pulled apart, Quinn hugged Rachel's body tightly to hers, refusing to let go until she was gone from her grip.

"I won't let anyone hurt you, Rachel," she whispered into her hair, closing her eyes against the white emptiness of the world around her. "I promise."

* * *

_The sound of the front door closing was what woke Rachel up. There was a stiffness in her face and in her eyes that felt like she had been crying. But that couldn't be right. Unless she had been crying in her sleep, which was a probability. She tended to have very realistic and dramatic dreams. _

_Unfortunately, she also had a tendency to forget them. _

_She stretched out on her bed like a starfish before curling up on the cold side of the bed. She let out a sigh. Oh, the loneliness that came with being a star in the making. Sometimes it kept her up at night. She sat up and looked over at her alarm clock, deciding that ten o'clock was as good a time as ever to get out of bed on a Saturday. Even if all she wanted to do was lay back down and go to sleep. _

_Rachel dragged her feet out of the bedroom and walked to the kitchen where she could smell the lovely aroma of coffee. She paused when she entered and cleared her throat at the man digging through their cupboards. _

"_Excuse me," she said, waving hesitantly when the man turned around startled, clutching a mug to his chest. "Hi. Who are you?"_

_The man's eyes widened a fraction before he gave her a small smile and held out his hand. "Hello. I'm Vince, Kurt's, uh, boyfriend."_

_Rachel paused their hands mid shake and furrowed her eyebrows up at Vince. "Boyfriend?"_

"_Vince, honey, is the coffee ready ye – oh," Kurt stepped into the kitchen and his eyes shifted quickly as they searched her face. "Good morning, Rachel."_

_Rachel smiled and skipped forward to hug him. It felt like she hadn't seen him in forever. She's missed him. And it was very obvious that she's missed a lot. She pulled Kurt over to a nervous Vince. "You have a lot of explaining to do, mister."_

_Kurt chuckled, reaching over to play with Vince's fingers. "It's still pretty new."_

_Rachel beamed at Vince, her cheeks straining like unused muscles. "I'm Rachel Berry, Kurt's roommate. Hopefully he told you about me because he neglected to inform me about you."_

_Kurt rolled his eyes and Vince smiled, nodding his head as he turned to pour the cups of coffee. "He's told me about you."_

_Rachel pouted and hit Kurt in the stomach. He shrugged a little sheepishly, avoiding her eyes. _

"_You've been busy."_

_Rachel frowned. Had she really been so busy that she missed the fact that her roommate was dating someone? And was dating this someone long enough for him to know where their mugs were? Did that make her just incredibly selfish? She wrapped her arms around Kurt's waist. She'd have to make more time for Kurt. She's _really _missed him. _

"_We need to do some catching up," she told him quietly as they accepted their cups from Vince. Kurt's eyes glanced over at her and his lips quirked up around the rim of his cup. _

"_We definitely do."_

* * *

**July 18, 2010**

They were watching _Chopped_ in Rachel's room, trying to think up their own dishes with the secret ingredients and with a tiny kitten Jinx taking up the small between their bodies, when her fathers came home. This was the first time they had decided to hang out at Rachel's so Quinn straightened up in preparation to meet the girl's fathers. The taller of the two, the one that Rachel had described to her as 'Daddy' was the one that found them in Rachel's room.

"Hey, honey, me and your father are going to the movi – oh my God!" he squealed and plopped down on the bed to pick up the kitten. "Isn't she _precious_!"

Rachel giggled. "Her name is Jinx. She's Quinn's kitty."

Rachel's Daddy looked over at Quinn, Jinx trying to crawl on top of his head, and held out his hand with a chuckle. "I'm going to assume that you are Quinn. I'm James, Rachel's Daddy."

Quinn shook his hand with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

James smiled and picked the cat off of his head. "How old is she?"

"About two months," Quinn answered, reaching to grab Jinx when James handed her over. "I'm sorry, we tried to leave her at my house, but she wasn't having any of that."

James waved her off. "Oh, nonsense. You're both welcome here anytime."

"James, are you ready to go?"

They looked to the door in time to see Rachel's dad appear in the doorway, cleaning his glasses on his shirt. He looked up, briefly surprised before smiling and stepping forward.

"That is an adorable cat," he said, holding out his hand. "David Berry."

Quinn let Jinx crawl into Rachel's lap as she shook David's hand. "Quinn Fabray."

She watched the smile drop from his lips, before he straightened up and placed his glasses back on his face. Quinn frowned and looked over at James who was looking back her with a cautious curiosity, the joyful smile gone from his face as well. She was starting to feel incredibly uncomfortable under the stares and she looked over at Rachel, feeling only a little bit of relief when she seemed just as confused.

"Dad, what's wrong?" she asked quietly, her fingers hugging Quinn's wrist anxiously.

David shook his head and crossed his arms, not in a threatening way, but in a way that Quinn knew meant that he was ready to close himself off from her. "You're Russel Fabray's daughter."

Quinn stiffened. So, that was the problem. Well, God, that made sense. Of course her last name would still hold some sort of fearful power in their old hometown. Now that she thought about it, she vaguely remembered Russel ranting about "those two faggots" more than once. She stared David in the eyes as she spoke, her face expressionless.

"Russel Fabray is in California," she explained quietly. In her peripherals she could see Rachel turn to look at her. "My parents are divorced. I live with just my mom and my sister now."

David's face softened completely and she could see him shift his gaze up to her eyebrow, observing the scar that was healed over and no longer discolored, but still there clearly against her skin. She could see the pieces fall together in his head and he smiled softly at her.

"I apologize for my reaction," he told her, grabbing her hand in his, "That was very disrespectful of me."

"No, not at all," Quinn reassured him with a small smile, "I understand."

David gave her hand a squeeze before standing up and clearing his throat. "Well, girls, we must be on our way if we want to catch our movie. Come along, James."

James hopped up placing a kiss on Rachel, Quinn, _and _Jinx's head before skipping out of the room with a wave. They were left in silence until the front door closed and Rachel turned to search Quinn's face until her eyes fell on the scar. Quinn twisted her body away, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed so her back was facing Rachel. The urge to leave was so great. She could be off the bed and out of the room before Rachel would even have a chance to react.

"Quinn," there was a hand on the small of her back, making her shoulders relax against her wishes.

"What, Rach?" she whispered. Then the hand was off her back and the bed shifted as Rachel got up to kneel in front of her. She reached over and grabbed Quinn's clenched fist in her hands. She had respected Quinn's wishes to not talk about what happened to her eye. For once in her life, Rachel kept her mouth shut; a feat Quinn knew was not easy.

But now, she just couldn't hold it in.

"Who did that to you?" she breathed out, her fingers ghosting over the scar. Her eyes were shinning as Quinn looked into them, brown orbs desperate just to _know. _Quinn shook her head.

"You know who did it, Rachel." If Rachel wasn't so close, she wouldn't have heard her at all.

Rachel shook her head and Quinn reached up to wipe the tears from the brunette's cheeks. "But w-why? Why would he ever . . .?"

Quinn's fiercely bright hazel eyes met Rachel's.

"I was protecting my sister."

And then everything made sense, Quinn could see it in Rachel's face. The brunette knew of Russel Fabray, how could she not when the man made it his mission to make her fathers' lives a living hell. She had just never made the connection before. Everyone knew how religious he was. And Abigail had recently mentioned that she had just come out of the closet. There were those scars that littered her back. And the one above Quinn's eye.

They were from _him. _

A soft gasp fell from Rachel's lips as her hand covered her mouth. Then she was cradling Quinn's face and placing the softest of kisses on the scar. Quinn closed her eyes, her heart racing and pounding against the inside of her chest. That small kiss caused the tears to come cascading down her cheeks and she clutched at the back of Rachel's as she cried into her neck.

Then Rachel leaned back and, in an act that surprised Quinn, leaned forward to catch Quinn's lips in a searing kiss. She pushed the blonde's shoulders until she fell back to the bed and she straddled her hips, not once disconnecting their lips.

Jinx _meowed _and hopped off the bed, completely uninterested in the silly wrestling her mothers were participating in.

Rachel pulled away reluctantly, allowing that stubborn oxygen to enter their lungs. She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind Quinn's ear and smiled. She shook her head.

"I don't understand why anyone would want to hurt you or your sister," she whispered, lying down next to Quinn and placing her head on her shoulder as their limbs tangled together. "It just doesn't make sense to me."

Quinn closed her eyes and laid her head on top of Rachel's.

None of this made any sense to her.

* * *

_Rachel opened her eyes, her seventieth attempt at sleep unsuccessful. She sighed in frustration. This was the third night in a row. She had thought about seeing a doctor. There was something wrong with her. She knew there was. _

_She just didn't know _what_ it was. _

_It felt like her time in New York, a place she's dreamed of living in ever since she was a child, was just flying by her and she wasn't paying any attention. She had somehow gotten from point A to point K without her ever realizing it. And _everyone _that she talked to was hiding something from her. Every. Single. One of them. She knew it, but she couldn't even be angry with them because she was on the verge of checking herself into a mental institution. _

_God, she must be losing her mind. _

_Didn't she used to have feelings? Didn't New York used to be exciting? Wasn't performing the thing that she breathed for? Her smiles are genuine, but they aren't . . . bright anymore. After every show, the buzzing excitement that used to run through her veins was gone. Everyone seemed to be watching her all the time. Making sure that she's happy and she's alright. She tells them yes. She's fine. _

_She's not. She's just fucking . . . there. _

_There and lonely as hell. _

_She rolled over on her side and stretched her arm over the cold sheet on the empty side of her bed. It just felt so wrong to sleep on that side. Someone else belonged there, but her heart just wouldn't choose _anyone_. The people who showed her interest? God, the thought of being with them made her nauseas. But every morning, she woke up alone on the right side of the bed and it's horrible. _

_It's so cold. _

* * *

**July 4, 2010**

Quinn stared up at the sky from her spot on top of the picnic table at the park down the street from her house. She could barely see the glow from the fireworks beyond the trees from the town below, but it was enough for her. The sounds, the lights, they soothed her. She sighed.

Ohio's not so bad.

"Hi."

Quinn twisted around and smiled slightly at the sight of Rachel standing nervously next to the picnic table.

"Hi."

Rachel blushed and stepped a little closer. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Quinn shrugged.

"Not at all."

Rachel looked a little surprised. "Are you sure?"

Quinn chuckled. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be sure?"

The brunette looked away and sat down on the bench. She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before folding her hands in her lap.

"Well, I know you're friends with Santana and Brittany," she explained quietly, looking up at the glow in the sky from another firework. "Apparently, spending any amount of time with me is considered social suicide."

Quinn scoffed and rolled her eyes. She slipped off the table top to sit down next to Rachel on the bench. Rachel turned to watch her, a look of something akin to awe on her face.

"I don't care about my social status," she told Rachel with a smile. "You were nothing but nice to me and my sister the other day. I want to be your friend."

Rachel bit her lip, but Quinn could see the beaming smile trying to shine through. She stood up and wiped the dirt from the bench off the back of her skirt. She cleared her throat and looked up at the sky again.

"Were you watching the fireworks?"

Quinn chuckled and looked up at the sky as well. "Trying too."

Rachel grinned and held out her hand.

"I know the best place."

Quinn grabbed Rachel's hand and let her drag her over to the thick lining of trees. Quinn stopped them when Rachel tried to lead them into the pitch black tangle of wood.

"Where are we going?"

Rachel turned to her and chuckled. "I know it's dark, but it won't take too long. It'll be completely worth it."

Quinn bit her lip, weighing the pros and cons of traveling through the unknown, before tightening the hold on Rachel's hand and nodding. Rachel smiled excitedly and led her through the darkness, giggling every time Quinn would stumble into her back. Just before Quinn felt like she might just start panicking, the trees lessened until they stumbled upon an open lawn that tapered down into a steep hill. When Rachel dragged her forward, Quinn could see the rest of the town at the bottom.

The fireworks were right in front of them, unobstructed by anything.

Quinn let Rachel sit her down on the bench that was conveniently placed close to the edge and face the view of the town, right by the lamp post, the only source of light in this entire section of the park. Another firework went off and Quinn could feel the smile about to split her face.

"Where are we?" she whispered in awe. Rachel giggled beside her.

"I come here to get away. It's quiet, not a lot of people know about it," she told her quietly, staring at the sky lost in thought. "I've always wanted to bring someone here, but I don't really have a lot of friends. Finn doesn't like going through the trees."

"Who's Finn?" Quinn asked before she could stop herself.

"My boyfriend."

A comfortable silence fell over them as Quinn processed that. She didn't like that Rachel had a boyfriend, let alone that he refused to share this beautiful place with her simply because he didn't like walking through the trees. This place was amazing, and she told Rachel so. The brunette chuckled.

"I love it here," she whispered, tucking her feet under her as she watched the fireworks. "I've always wanted to come here one day to watch the sun rise," she told her wistfully, "but I've never gotten the chance."

Quinn smiled. "That sounds awesome. Maybe one day we can do that."

Rachel turned to look at her and furrowed her eyebrows. "You really want to hang out with me?"

Quinn was confused. Why wouldn't anyone want to hang out with Rachel? Everyone should be fighting to be her best friend.

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

Rachel didn't meet her eyes and she fiddled with her thumbs. She looked so small as she curled insecurely into herself.

"I don't have a lot of friends. In fact, most people think I'm annoying. I mean, Santana makes it her mission to ridicule me on a daily basis. Even my own boyfriend doesn't seem like he likes me all the time," she admitted quietly and Quinn scowled. "It's just surprising when people want to spend time with me."

Quinn shook her head, her heart hurting for this girl. She knew what it was like to be lonely. Her only true friend in California after Sam left was Maxine. Everyone else was scared of her, too fake with her. She scooted towards Rachel on the bench.

"Santana's a bitch," Quinn said, making Rachel giggle softly. "I wouldn't be friends with her if I didn't grow up with her. Seriously. I want _us_ to be friends. I don't need popular friends. I don't _want _popularity, period. I want to be friends with great people." She reached over to place her hand over Rachel's, waiting until Rachel's eyes met hers. "You're great people."

Rachel smiled at her, not saying anything. She stared at Quinn as if she was an angel that had come down to Earth. The blonde chuckled.

"What?"

A firework illuminated their faces.

"You're incredibly beautiful."

Quinn blushed at that, biting her lip to contain the ridiculously large grin. Her heart was racing again. She looked down at her lap to hide the flush in her cheeks. She glanced shyly back up at a slightly embarrassed Rachel.

"You're incredibly beautiful, too."

Another silence fell over them, but this time an energy surged around them as they shared shy, happy glances with each other as they continued watching the fireworks. Quinn chuckled; they were so blind. They were obviously in love.

After a while, the fireworks tapered off and they walked back to the main part of the park, not much spoken between them. When they got back to the picnic table, Rachel was back with fidgeting with her hands and Quinn waited for whatever it was the brunette wanted to ask her.

"Would you be like to hang out tomorrow?"

Quinn grinned and pulled out her cell phone. "Give me your number."

Rachel smiled and recited her number for Quinn. Quinn sent Rachel a text.

_I love you. _

Rachel looked at her phone and a different smile popped up on her face. She looked up at Quinn, her eyes screaming out her declarations of love, but her body still in character.

"I'll text you tomorrow, Quinn. Thank you for spending this day with me," she said quietly, grabbing her hand to give it a small squeeze. "Have a good night."

She turned to leave, but Quinn kept a tight hold on her hand. Rachel turned to look at her sternly, and Quinn just smiled. Quinn stepped forward until their bodies were pressed together.

"I don't get a kiss?"

Rachel rolled her eyes and pecked her lips, once, twice, three times before pulling away and disconnecting their hands. She let her fingers brush against her lips before raising her hand in a small wave and turning around to disappear in the wind. Quinn stood in her spot and stared off into the space where Rachel had been standing. There was something special about that girl

Her phone vibrated and she brought it up to check the text. She smiled, paying no mind to the world disappearing around her.

_I love you, too. –R._

No. Ohio wasn't bad at all.

* * *

_Rachel bounced her leg as she waited for her plane to arrive. She didn't get much sleep last night, only a couple of hours, but she was still wired. She couldn't wait to get home to her fathers. She's missed them so much. There wasn't a better time to need their love. _

"Maxine!"

_She looked up to the row next to her to see two blondes talking with each other. The one with glasses looked amused as the other one seemed very annoyed. They talked quietly with each other and Rachel's eyes stayed on the blonde with the drawing pad. She was _beautiful. _Her voice had sent shivers down her spine. And when she looked over and her eyes connected with the most beautiful hazel orbs she's ever seen in her life, her heart thumped wildly in her che – _

_Oh._

_Oh God, her heart was alive! It felt _divine_. Feelings, actual feelings were racing through her veins. She smiled at the girl and when she smiled back it was almost too much. The wave of emotions threatened to drown her, so she looked away to calm her nerves. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and couldn't keep the smile from growing on her face. _

_She needed to know this blonde. _

_She was the cure to this emptiness that had been plaguing her body._

* * *

**July 2, 2010**

Quinn sat down on the grass, watching Brittany and Santana feed the ducks. It was amusing to see just how whipped Santana had become over the years. It had been nice to be with her two oldest friends; the Unholy Trinity together in Lima again. She came back to a familiar comfortable ambiance, something that California had failed to be for years.

It was nice.

"Quinn! Quinn, come here!"

Quinn turned around to see Abigail sitting in a fucking tree with their newly purchased pets in her arms and talking to a short brunette who was standing on the ground below her. Quinn stood up and walked over, her eyes stuck on the girl her sister seemed to have befriended. When the brown eyes met hers, she immediately smiled.

When she got to where they were, she looked up at Abigail and rolled her eyes.

"Abigail, please get down and take them back home. Let's try not killing our pets two days after we got them."

Abby pouted at her. "You're a party pooper, Quinn," but she handed Quinn a tiny kitten Jinx and climbed down with one hand maneuvering herself with the branches and the other clutching an excitable Luck puppy. She shared small, shy, smiles with the brunette until her sister was safely beside her.

"Quinn," Abigail said as she reached over to pick up Jinx and place her on her shoulder. She giggled and motioned to Rachel. "This is my new friend, Rachel Berry."

Rachel held out her hand and Quinn shook it, feeling the warmth spread up her arm. The brunette pulled her hand back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's nice to meet you."

Quinn smiled at her. "You too."

Rachel blushed slightly and turned her attention to the animals in Abigail's possession. She reached over to pet Jinx on her small head and glanced back at Quinn.

"This one must be yours."

Quinn was surprised. She nodded. "How'd you know that?"

"She has your eyes," she answered with a chuckle, "And I'm a little bit psychic."

Abigail gasped and beamed excitedly at Quinn. Quinn rolled her eyes and turned to Rachel who looked confused.

"She thinks she's psychic too."

"I don't _think_, silly, I _know,_" Abigail said, making Rachel grin. The younger girl hugged the puppy and kitty closer to her chest and pointed to both of the girls. "And I _know _that the two of you are going to be the very best of friends."

And with that she skipped away with a grin.

Quinn could feel herself blush, but she could help but chuckle. Her sister really was fucking psychic. She turned back to Rachel and she remembered that they had made a little bit of small talk. She told her that they came back from California where they had spent the last five years and they were to attend McKinley. They had talked _very _briefly about the prominent scar on her eye, in which Quinn said that she didn't want to talk about it at the moment.

But this time, she couldn't open her mouth to speak. What did it matter?

"This is it," Rachel whispered, smiling sadly. "It'll all be over after this."

Quinn nodded her head, swallowing against the lump in her throat.

This was it.

"Yeah," she croaked out. She stepped closer to her, not reaching out to touch her. She stared into Rachel's eyes, praying, _hoping, _that the real Rachel will be able to hear her. And if not hear her, then just _know _that someone was out there saying this stuff to her. "I'm sorry I ever drove you to this, love. You were, are and forever will be the best thing that ever happened to me," she sniffed, letting the tears drip off of her face. "I never stopped loving you, Rachel. I'm sorry you ever thought that."

Rachel stepped closer until only the wind could pass between their bodies. She looked up at Quinn, reaching up to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I was being dramatic; it should've never come to this," she said softly. "I'm sorry, too."

Quinn smiled at the short diva and pulled her into a tight hug. Her hands scrunched up Rachel's shirt in her fist, anchoring their bodies together. They'd have to pry her off of Rachel before anyone could take her from her.

"Q," Santana called behind them and Quinn paid her no mind. The two cheerleaders stopped behind them and she could hear the Latina scoff. "Oh, it's you, dwarf."

"Fuck off, Santana," Quinn mumbled into Rachel's hair and the brunette giggled.

"Come on, Blondie," Santana said, bored and completely unfazed by Quinn, "Let's go find some cooler people to hang out with."

And then when Santana and Brittany walked away, Quinn had given Rachel a sympathetic smile before walking off with them, leaving a frowning Rachel behind. Rachel would then remain on her mind until she saw her again on the fourth.

This time, she didn't let Rachel go. She let Santana and Brittany walk off, talking to the empty space where her body originally should've been.

"You're supposed to leave," Rachel whispered against her chest even though her arms were tightening around her waist.

Quinn pulled away slightly to see Rachel's face. She cupped the brunette cheek, reveling in the warmth against her palm. How could she? _Why _would she leave and destroy the one true happiness in her entire life. Why would she end this? This was her world. Her _life. _

"And what if I don't leave?"

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. "But you _did_. There are no more memories left."

Quinn leaned their foreheads together and shrugged her shoulders.

"We're still here together," she said quietly, her hold tightening even more.

"Let's make the most of it."

Rachel smiled at her before their lips met in a slow, passionate, innocent kiss. Hands ran through hair and danced along their backs. Fading conversations sounded around them, Santana insulting rachel to her harmonized with the angry rants of her father about the gay couple and their abomination of a daughter. They pulled away when a silence fell over them, their foreheads leaned together. When they opened their eyes, the world was almost completely all white and plain, the trees and grass shrinking before their eyes. Rachel cupped Quinn's cheek, tears running down both of their faces.

"I'll wait for you here," Rachel whispered against her lips, "I'll wait forever."

Quinn squeezed her eyes shut and captured Rachel's lips in one last desperate kiss before hugging her body tightly to hers.

"I love you. I love you so much," she whispered repeatedly against Rachel's neck, praying that for once, just this last time, they could disappear together. When she opened her eyes and looked down at their transparent bodies, she smiled; someone finally decided show her some mercy.

A whisper echoed around her before everything was gone completely.

_I love you, too._

* * *

Tim closed his laptop and stretched with a yawn.

"Alrighty," he said, standing up and packing away his computer. "We're done."

Karen and Mitchell stood up and began to put everything away and fix the apartment. It took them a total of ten minutes to pack everything and disappear from the apartment as if they were never there. The sun had yet to rise as they loaded everything into the van.

"Thank you so much for your help today, Tim," Mitch said as he closed the doors to the van.

Tim waved him off. "Oh, it's fine, it's fine. It's my job. Now you guys go get some sleep. I have to go back to the office and take Quinn's bags to the incinerator."

Karen looked over hurriedly. "Oh, uh, that's not necessary."

Tim arched an eyebrow, confused. "Why not?"

Karen cleared her throat and climbed into the passenger seat. She glanced quickly at her brother before turning back to her boss.

"I already took them to the incinerator when I got my credit card. Thought I could do you a favor since you did us such a huge one."

Tim smiled at her. "Oh, well, thank you! I suppose we can all go to sleep now," he chuckled and waved at them as he walked to his car. They watched him drive off before sharing a glance and a grin. They gave each other a high five and drove away from the strangest erasing they had ever been on.

* * *

**December 12, 2013**

Quinn's eyes snapped open to the sound of her cell phone. She groaned and buried her head into her pillow to get away from the annoying ring, reaching blindly over to her nightstand. Her fingers closed on the piece of plastic and she answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Wake the _fuck_ up, Fabray."

* * *

**A/N: What happens next? Why, go read the prologue again, that's what. See how everything came full circle.**

**Song: If It Kills Me (Casa Nova Sessions) by Jason Mraz. (Gotta be the Casa Nova Sessions.)**

**Al Snow is a real wrestler who is really billed from Lima, Ohio. I used to be a big big fan of the WWE (back when it was the WWF). So if you watched WWF back in the early early 2000s and the late late 1999, and understood every single one of my pop culture references without me having to tell you then, by golly, I think we're twins. Have a fantastic day lovelies. **


	14. Epilogue

**This is it. **

**Read. Ponder. Enjoy. **

* * *

**December 13, 2013**

_I'll wait forever. _

Quinn woke up first, the last whispers of her dream ringing in her head until they were nothing but fading feelings for unintelligible, blurry images. They were lovely feelings nonetheless. _Very_ lovely feelings.

She turned on her side, letting the woman sleeping next to her slip off of her shoulder and fall softly to the mattress. Rachel shifted onto her back and moved an arm to lay above her head, still very much asleep. Quinn smiled and propped her head up with her hand as she observed the beautiful brunette that she spent the night with. They had stayed up until the very early hours of the morning filling each other in on everything about themselves and kissing. Lots and lots of kissing. Quinn grinned and let her hand rest on the sliver of skin that was exposed between Rachel's t-shirt and her short shorts. She danced her fingers across the smooth flat plane of her stomach, giggling quietly when Rachel squirmed with a soft moan. Quinn bit her lip and let her hand travel up to the underside of Rachel's breast (wonderful territory they had explored last night). She could just barely feel Rachel's heart beating under her touch.

Quinn noted, with a smile, that it beat in time with hers.

How lucky was she to have found someone like Rachel Berry? After – _how many years has it been? – _almost four years alone to deal with the mistakes of her past, had she finally been rewarded with this angel of a girl? Conversation ran so smoothly between them, it's like they've been talking for years. The kisses they shared felt so _natural_; those were the lips that were meant to connect with hers. It was so perfect.

Rachel must be the girl of her dreams.

Would they have made it as a couple had they known each other in high school? Quinn had her doubts. Even now, she still feels the painful guilt of what happened in California, but it's definitely fainter now than it used to be. She's had _years _to herself to sulk and brood and heal her conscience. Had she met Rachel in high school and had they liked each other as quickly as they had now, then perhaps she would've still been too damaged. Too _fragile. _She would've pushed Rachel away, if only to keep her safe from her frazzled mind. God, she would've broken her heart. Just the thought of that made Quinn's eyes well with tears.

How would she be able to live with herself if she had hurt this girl?

But now, with Rachel's heart beating under the pads of her fingertips, perhaps it was the right time to have met her. Perhaps now was as good a time as ever to try her hand at having something special. To experience true and absolute happiness with a girl who made her smile until she feared her face would be stuck that way. She deserved happiness.

She felt like someone had told her that once.

Quinn began to remove her hand from under Rachel's shirt, blushing at the fact that she was practically molesting her while she slept. Rachel clasped her hand over Quinn's, stilling it and keeping it on her stomach.

"That feels good," she mumbled, her voice laced with sleep and a small smirk on her lips.

Quinn chuckled and dragged her fingernails lightly across Rachel's skin, making the brunette moan lowly in her throat and arch her back. Rachel opened her eyes to stare sleepily up at the gorgeous woman above her. She reached up to run her finger through the wild blonde hair that surrounded Quinn's face and smiled. She dropped her hand down to softly caress her cheek. This was the first morning in a long, long time where her world didn't seem so lonely. She could actually smile and mean it.

"I'm so happy you're here," she whispered, playing with the small hairs on the back of Quinn's neck, "The bed isn't so cold anymore."

Quinn smiled and pulled the warm body closer to her. She placed a small kiss on her head, closed her eyes and hummed as she nuzzled her nose against the soft hair

"I know exactly what you mean."

Rachel turned on her side to hide her ridiculously large smile against the blonde's collarbone. They could stay like this forever. Here, where nothing and no one mattered but the two of them, where the odd, quick progression of their relationship was the most normal and natural thing in the world. How was she even able to survive all this time without Quinn by her side?

Their perfect bubble was interrupted by a faint buzzing. Quinn opened her eyes and cursed.

"Shit, I didn't tell my sister I was staying here," she untangled her body from the brunette and leaned over the edge of the bed to fish her cell phone out of her jacket that was hanging off the back of the desk chair, giving Rachel a fabulous view of her ass clad in the shorts she let her borrow. Quinn answered the call and fell back into the bed, immediately cuddling back into Rachel.

"Hello?"

"_Oh my _God_, Quinn_," Nora said, exasperated and relieved, "_I thought you really turned into a shit popsicle for a minute there. Is informing your worried sister about your whereabouts completely beyond you now?_"

Quinn rolled her eyes as Rachel giggled. "You weren't worried."

Nora chuckled.

"_Not really, but I was definitely getting there after the second phone call that you neglected to answer."_

Quinn winced. "Sorry about that. I just woke up."

"_Oh, really? Where are you anyway? Are you at Santan – Hey!"_

There was a shuffle on the other line, some cursing from her older sister, and then Abigail's voice rang out, clear and excited.

"_Quinndalonius!" _she greeted with a giggle.

Quinn chuckled and shook her head. "Hey, Abby."

"_You totally stayed at Rachel's last night, didn't you?_"

Both girls blushed and Quinn could distantly hear Nora's exclamation of surprise in the background. She sighed, absently playing with the ends of Rachel's hair. "Yeah. I did."

Abigail squealed loudly and Quinn had to pull the phone away from her ear. Rachel giggled again. There was a another shuffle as her sisters fought over the phone which Abigail apparently won and ran away if the victorious laugh and hurried footsteps were any indication.

"_Quinn! I must speak with Rachel."_

"What? Why?"

"_I have to make sure you treated her with respect. I can't have you sullying the Fabray name by being, you know, _inconsiderate_." _She cleared her throat. "_Wink, wink."_

Quinn covered her face with her hand. Abigail Fabray: the source of all of the embarrassment in her life. Sometimes she really didn't know what to do with that child.

Rachel leaned up to grab the phone from Quinn and put it up to her own ear.

"Hello, Abigail."

"What are you – what are you doing?" Rachel responded by covering Quinn's mouth with her hand.

"_Rachel!" _ Abigail greeted her happily. "_I hope Quinn was a gentlewoman to you last night_."

"Why, of course," Rachel smirked, sitting up and straddling Quinn's hips to avoid the hands that tried to grab for the phone. "Quinn was nothing but _gentle _and _considerate _of my needs."

Quinn's eyes widened and Rachel could feel her jaw drop under her hand. Abigail hummed over the phone.

"_Hmm, starting to get a little uncomfortable, but it's okay," _she said and Rachel chuckled, leaning forward to place a kiss on the back of her hand that was covering Quinn's mouth. "_Anyway, Rachel, you must come out to brunch with us."_

"I would love to," she answered, smiling down at Quinn's narrowed eyes.

"_Yay!" _Abigail cheered and clapped. "_Okie dokie, you guys can meet us here! I assume Quinn didn't bring a change of clothes with her."_

"You assumed correctly," Rachel said as she let her eyes travel down Quinn's body, her eyes devouring the skin that was exposed by the (too short) shirt and shorts. "I was _very kind _enough to let her borrow some clothes."

"_Oh, she actually wore clothes?"_

Rachel giggled. "Well, you know, it gets cold at night."

Quinn arched an eyebrow at her as Abigail chuckled.

"_Oh, you're a treat. Okay, Nora's giving me this evil death stare right now. Hold on – poke a nose!" _Abigail giggled and Rachel could hear someone grumbling next to her. "_She is unamused. So I'll see you later! Bye bye, Rachel! And Quinn, tell her I said bye to her too. I don't want her feelings to be hurt."_

Rachel smiled and nodded her head. "Of course, I'll tell her. We'll see you later, Abigail."

She hung up the phone and leaned over to drop it back in Quinn's jacket pocket. She smirked down at Quinn, placing her hands on her shoulders.

"We're going out to brunch with your sisters."

"Oh, are we?" Quinn asked as she sat up to wrap her arms around Rachel's waist. "The same sisters that think we were doing something _naughty _last night?"

Rachel giggled, draping her arms around the blonde's neck. "It's not like we were exactly _innocent_."

Quinn just smiled because they really weren't. And it was magical. Rachel leaned forward to give her a soft closed mouthed kiss and before Quinn could say fuck it to morning breath, the brunette rolled off the bed. She grabbed the sheets and yanked them from Quinn's body.

"Oh, _Jesus_, it's cold!" Quinn squealed and sat up to wrap her arms around her bare legs. She didn't know how Rachel did it, but she looked as if it was a nice, warm summer day when really it was like the Arctic fucking Ocean. She pouted at Rachel. "Come back to bed. Keep me warm."

Rachel just grinned and shook her head.

"We have to meet your sisters, Quinn. I hate to keep people waiting," she turned and walked towards the bathroom, throwing a smirk at Quinn over her shoulder.

Quinn leaned back against the head board and watched Rachel walk away. She's so gorgeous. She let her eyes drift down to the brunette's ass clad in the shortest shorts she's ever had the pleasure of se–

_Huh. Déjà vu_.

She shook her head and got off the bed, shivering at the chilly air. She walked into the bathroom and smiled gratefully at Rachel when she handed her a toothbrush with toothpaste already on it.

"Thanks," she said quietly and placed a kiss on Rachel's blushing cheek.

They thoroughly brushed their teeth, finishing at almost the same time. They rinsed their mouth and washed their face in silence. When they finished, they were left standing in front of the sink and staring at each other through the mirror, a tense silence falling over them. Quinn dropped her eyes to watch their hands inch towards one another on the counter until they clasped together. Then, in a flurry of movement, they met in a hard passionate kiss.

Quinn turned them around to sit Rachel on top of the counter and stepped between her legs, their lips, their tongues still connected. Hands slipped under shirts and Quinn pulled back with a gasp when bold digits teased the peaks of her breasts. She leaned their foreheads together, her eyes shut as she panted against Rachel's lips. She arched into Rachel's touch, causing the brunette to moan low in her throat when the taunt stomach pressed against her center. They were moving really fast for two people who had just met each other; they were _very _aware of that. But why stop it felt like the most natural thing in the world and _oh so great?_

Quinn leaned her head back as Rachel trailed her lips down to her neck. She groaned and tightened her arms around the brunette's waist.

"Mmm, we're going to miss brunch."

Rachel chuckled and hooked her ankles around Quinn's back, leaning up to capture her lips again. "We're not doing anything."

"Yet," Quinn mumbled against Rachel's lips, rolling her stomach into her again. Rachel giggled and moaned again, their lips connecting in a series of soft ki –

– _nothing you do or say will stop me from fucking you senseless right here on the bathroom flo – _

Rachel pulled away and leaned her forehead against Quinn's jaw, the whisper flashing through her brain before it disappeared almost immediately. She shook her head softly. Where the hell did that even come from? Quinn, panting, kissed Rachel's forehead and kept her lips there as she whispered to her.

"Are you okay?"

Rachel took a deep breath and nodded, lifting her head to lean it against Quinn's.

"Yeah," she answered breathlessly. "Just . . . déjà vu."

Quinn hummed. Those seemed to be happening a lot lately. They shared a few more soft kisses and Quinn stepped back a little so her stomach wasn't pressing against Rachel. When they broke apart, they were content to just stare at each other, both thinking that, while flushed and with their hair wild, they looked absolutely beautiful. Quinn reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind Rachel's ear and bit her lip.

"Do – do you think we should slow down?" she asked hesitantly, afraid of the answer she really didn't want to hear. "I haven't even taken you out on a date yet. M-maybe it would be best."

Rachel smiled at the mention of a date. That meant that Quinn was into this relationship, if one could call it that, just as much as she was. She raked her fingers through the long blonde hair, letting her nails scrape against her scalp.

"I don't want to slow down," she whispered and Quinn beamed. When she leaned forward to connect their lips once more, Rachel placed her hand on Quinn's stomach and pushed her away, smirking at the adorable pout the blonde was directing towards her. "But we do have to meet your sisters."

Quinn rolled her eyes. _Fucking sisters. _She shot forward to steal another kiss before she helped Rachel get down from the counter. They walked back into the room to get dressed, not at all shy about changing in front of each other. In fact, they didn't even try to hide their glances at each other's body. Which were fucking nice, thank you very much. They shared another kiss (seriously, they could not stop) before Rachel grabbed Quinn's hand and led her out of the room, grabbing her keys from her dresser on the way out. They had just descended the stairs, giggling with each other, when someone cleared their throat.

They turned towards the sound, startled, and Quinn felt her face pale. Two men, who had to Rachel's fathers, were sitting on the couch together; one looking at them sternly and the other with a soft smile. The stern one, the one with the glasses, had a yellow card in his hand and he placed it in his back pocket when he stood up. He walked over to them, his arms crossed over his chest, and Quinn took a small step back so that Rachel stood slightly in front of her.

Rachel gave her dad a tentative smile, but was squeezing Quinn's hand in a death grip. "Good morning, Dad."

"Good morning, Rachel," he said, tapping her fingers on his arm. "Are you going to introduce us to the girl you snuck into the house last night without informing your fathers?"

Rachel blushed and looked away from her dad's gaze, slightly ashamed, to meet Quinn's very nervous eyes. She squeezed her hand to get the artist's attention and gave her a reassuring smile. She turned back to her dad.

"I apologize, Dad. It won't _ever _happen again," she promised, shooting her father her innocent doe eyes and almost smirking when she saw him deflate a little. She motioned to the woman next to her. "This is Quinn. We met at the park last night. Quinn, this is my dad."

Quinn smiled shyly at him and held out the slightly trembling hand that wasn't locked with Rachel's. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

The man shook her hand firmly. "Please, call me David."

"Oh!" The smiling man hopped up off the couch and hurried over. He held out his hand. "And I'm James, Rachel's Daddy."

Quinn giggled at how enthusiastically her shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"And you!" he chirped happily and linked his arm with his husband's. "So where were you girls heading off to?"

"We were going to brunch with Quinn's sisters."

"Oh, meeting the family already?" James asked teasingly, throwing them a wink and laughing at the identical blushes on their faces.

"_Daddy,"_ Rachel scolded lightly, glaring at him. James held up his hands with a chuckle.

"Okay, okay," he said, backing up towards the living room and pulling his husband with him. "I was only joking, honey. You girls have fun. It was a pleasure meeting you, Quinn."

Quinn smiled at them. "The pleasure was all mine."

"And Rachel," David called over with a look that was, at least, much less stern. "We _will _be talking about this later."

Rachel nodded. "Of course, Dad."

David finally smiled at them and turned back to walk to the couch where James was waiting with an episode of _Friends. _"Oh, and a package was left on the doorstep for you, Rachel. You also have mail."

"Thanks, Dad," she said and pulled Quinn over to the small table by the front door where they kept their mail. On the floor were a couple of small boxes that had **For Rachel** written on them in a permanent marker.

"I like your dads," Quinn whispered next to her. Rachel smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss before picking up the large envelope that was addressed to her.

"I'm sure they like you, too."

Quinn shrugged doubtfully, "Hopefully."

Rachel shook her head and nudged Quinn in the side with her elbow.

"They like you," she assured her as she tore open the envelope. She pulled out a typed letter and a manila folder, scrunching up her eyebrows in confusion. She turned the envelope over and scanned the front, but couldn't find a return address. Not even a stamp. She held up the letter and read it softly under her breath.

"_Dear Rachel Berry. We've met, but you won't remember that. I'm writing to inform you that one week ago, December 6, 2013, you hired Lacuna Incorporated to erase your memory. Enclosed are the contract that you signed and the recording that you made the morning of the procedure . . ."_

Rachel slowly set down the letter in a daze, ignoring the rest of what was written and the anonymous apologies. She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. She wanted to call Puck and tell him to stop joking around with her, but there was that feeling in her heart that had been telling her that something was wrong with her for a long time, shouting in her head. She couldn't help but think that maybe . . . maybe . . .

She opened the manila folder and her eyes fell on the piece of paper stapled to the right side. The contract. Her handwriting. Her _signature_ at the bottom. _I, Rachel Berry, give my consent to Lacuna Inc. to erase – _Rachel almost choked.

_Quinn Fabray_.

She shook her head and distantly could hear Quinn's concerned voice next to her, but she couldn't stop staring at the name on the contract, written in _her _handwriting. She felt dizzy. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't real. This made _no _sense. With a trembling hand, she grabbed the cassette tape from the small bag stapled to the left side and walked away from the soothing hand on her back to put it in the tape player of her fathers' music entertainment set up.

Quinn let her hand fall to her side as her eyes dropped down to the folder that Rachel had abandoned. She scanned the words and narrowed her eyes at her own name. She traced over the letters with her fingers. What the _fuck _was going on?

"_My name is Rachel Berry," _Quinn turned to look at where Rachel was standing in front of the speakers with her hand over her mouth and tears running down her cheeks. The blonde took a few steps toward her, feeling a strong, pulsing need to comfort h – "_and I'm here to erase Quinn Fabray._"

Quinn froze. No. _No. _

"What is this?" she whispered, staring hard at Rachel who looked back at her with wide eyes. The brunette's tear-stained voice sounded over the speakers once again, peaking the curiosity of her fathers who had walked up from the living room.

"_She's not . . . it's like she's just heartless now," _there was a sniff and a small pause. "_I can't even bear the mere thought of her anymore."_

"Quinn – " Rachel breathed out desperately.

"What are you doing?" Quinn asked quietly, her eyes leaking tears. She shook her head, clenching her hand into a fist by her side as Rachel's voice continued to talk about how _heartless _she is. "Were you just fucking with me this _entire_ time?"

"_No!" _Rachel said taking a step towards her. She wouldn't do this to Quinn. The voice that sounded so much _like_ hers just couldn't _be_ hers. "I'm _not _fucking with you, I promise!"

"_You obviously are_!" Quinn snapped at her waving a hand at the speakers that continued to degrade her. "What were you trying to do? Make me fall in love with you for _shits and giggles_?"

Rachel shook her head vigorously, tossing the tears off of her cheeks.

"Of course not!" she cried out and tried to reach out for Quinn's hand. She had to bite her lip to contain the sob that tried to force its way out of her throat when Quinn took several steps away from her. That _hurt _like a stinging slap to her face. "Quinn, _please," _she whispered desperately, brokenly, "I don't know what's going on, I promise you. Please, I would _never _do this to you."

"_I just can't trust Quinn anymore. How can I love someone like that? _Why_ would I love someone like that?"_

Quinn closed her eyes as she let the words wash over her. Her heart that was just beating happily in her chest a few minutes ago was now falling to an unavoidable shattered death in the pit of her stomach. And suddenly, the woman who she had spent all last night getting to know was now a stranger to her. She couldn't even begin to name the emotions that were swirling in her, but they were suffocating. She needed to leave.

She needed to get out of here.

Quinn opened her eyes to look one last time into the watery brown eyes that stared back at her before turning on her heel and rushing out of the house, shutting the front door behind her.

She managed to not break down until she was in the car and already speeding away.

* * *

Rachel watched Quinn leave and at the sound of the front door closing and the tires screeching on the asphalt, she fell to the floor and her body shook as she cried. Quinn just left her and her heart felt like it was shriveling up into the most pathetic raisin imaginable. Her fathers were by her side immediately and she clutched to them as her tears soaked their shirts. Her voice continued to talk around them.

Her dads helped her up and she only started to pay attention to where they were leading her when they reached the top of the stairs and were standing under the trapdoor to the attic. David reached up to grab the string that hung from the ceiling and pulled down the retractable ladder, and Rachel felt a a spike of fear run through her when she thought they were going to make her go up there. Instead, he climbed up and Rachel waited for him at the bottom, looking up at her Daddy confused. James just gave her a sympathetic, reassuring smile and squeezed her shoulders. David began to climb down the ladder and James walked forward to help him bring down the boxes that he was struggling with. By the time they had closed the attic there were three boxes at their feet overflowing with things that were barely covered by the top flaps.

"What are those?" she asked quietly, wiping the tears from her cheeks with little effect.

David took off his glasses and began to clean them on his shirt. "Open them."

Rachel dropped to her knees and pulled the first box closer to her. The feeling of déjà vu was back tenfold as she stared at the mementos. Her and Quinn's smiling faces stared back at her. Several pieces of art were tucked away in there. There were notes signed by Quinn and addressed to her. She covered her mouth with her hand as she picked up a picture of her and Quinn sharing a kiss in their prom dresses. The one under it was of them in their graduation gowns. She couldn't believe it. These were the proofs of the forgotten memories of Quinn Fabray and a fresh wave of tears cascaded down her cheeks. She pulled the second box to her, then the third. They were all filled with pictures and objects that she couldn't remember the significance of. But she looked happy. _They _looked happy. _Why_ would she want to forget Quinn? She looked up at her fathers.

"You knew?" she asked brokenly. Why didn't they tell her? Why didn't _anyone _tell her?

They looked away from her ashamed and David stepped forward, pulling the yellow card from his back pocket. He handed it to her. "I'm sorry, honey."

Rachel grabbed the card to read. _Quinn Fabray has had Rachel Berry erased from her memory. Please never mention their relationship to her again. _She fell back on her heels as the breath left her body and she read the sentence over and over again. They had a relationship. And if she knew her heart, _and she did, _then she was sure they were in love. They had to be if she felt this much for Quinn after less than twenty four hours of knowing her. They had to be if Quinn running away from hurt this much.

No.

She couldn't let her get away. She just couldn't.

She stood up and turned to face her fathers, a new look of determination on her face even as the tears continued to fall. "I'm going to Quinn's house."

They nodded at her, both with small understanding smiles on their faces. They stepped forward at the same time to wrap their arms around their daughter.

"We'll put these boxes in your room, okay?" David whispered into her hair and she nodded.

"Thanks," she whispered and pulled away. James reached over to wipe the tears from her face and straightened out her shirt before kissing her on the head and pushing her towards the stairs. She smiled at them before she turned around and she hurried down to the front door, gripping the keys that were in her coat pocket. Her recording was still playing in the living room.

"_But I _do _love her. I can't _stop _loving her. I've tried. I've tried so hard."_

Her foot kicked one of the boxes on the floor as she reached for the door knob. She had almost forgotten about them. She bent down and cut the tape with her keys. When she flipped open the top she was met with a gold star themed photo strip of the two of them sitting on top of more mementos. She traced her fingers over the images, lingering on the last one of them sharing a loving kiss.

How perfectly cliché.

She took the strip with her as she left the house and hurried to her car, the last whispers of the recording fading behind her.

* * *

Quinn parked her car in front of the house, surprised and thankful that she was able to make it home with how hard she was crying. She leaned her forehead against the steering wheel as she tried to calm the painful pounding of her heart, but it was proving completely futile. A sob tumbled from her throat and bypassed the hand that was covering her mouth. How did this happen? She thought that she had finally found someone who made her feel like the happiest person in the fucking world. Someone she could trust. Someone she was well on her way to falling in love with. How did that someone become the person that made her feel like her world was crumbling around her in a span of five minutes?

At that thought, another sob escaped her lips.

There was a knock on the window and she looked up to find Nora's concerned face staring back at her. She motioned at the lock and Quinn opened the door to collapse into her sister's arms. Nora kneeled down to better hug the artist and let her cry into her shoulder.

"Quinn, what happened?" she whispered into the head of blonde hair. "Where's Rachel?"

Quinn just cried harder and Nora wanted to slap herself in the face. Of course it had something to do with Rachel. She reached over to grab the car keys from the ignition and helped Quinn out of the vehicle, locking the door over her shoulder as they made their way up the pathway to their house. Amy and Abigail were watching them from the porch, similar expressions of concern on their faces. They stepped to the side to let Quinn and Nora pass them, sharing a look before following them inside.

Quinn was in a daze. She had to be dreaming. She looked over at the picture of her and her sisters by the front door and more tears cascaded down her cheeks as she remembered that, just last night, she and Rachel were standing there happy and kissing. She snapped her eyes away from the now painful memories and fell to the small table under it. There was an envelope waiting for her.

Her heart was pounding in her chest again.

She slinked out from under Nora's arm and stepped towards the small table, reaching out for her mail with a violently trembling hand.

"Quinn?"

Quinn ignored whoever it was that called her name and grabbed the large envelop, ripping it open as if she were trying to cause it pain. A letter and a folder fell out of the torn remains. She picked up the letter first. _Dear Quinn Fabray. We've met, but you won't remember that. I am writing to inform you that, two days ago, December 11, 2013, you hired Lacuna Incorporated to erase your memory. _She gripped the letter in her hand and flipped open the folder, staring hard at the contract stapled to the flap. There, above the line that said 'Name of Person You Wish to Erase' was _Rachel Berry, _written in Quinn's handwriting.

She shook her head. This was impossible. She didn't know Rachel two days ago. She's _never_ known Rachel. Because she would've remembered her. She turned around to face her sisters and Amy who were watching her carefully. She held up the crumpled letter.

"Who dropped this off?" she whispered.

Nora shrugged her shoulders. "It was there when I woke up."

"And what time did you wake up?"

"Nine o'clock."

Quinn turned around and grabbed the tape from the other flap and stared at her name on the label. Someone was fucking with them. It was the only explanation.

"This isn't real," she said quietly under her breath, "It's impossible."

Abigail walked forward and grabbed the letter gently from Quinn's hand. Her eyes scanned the words and they widened.

"Shit," she cursed quietly and dropped the letter back on the table. She turned to Quinn, sympathetic blue eyes boring into Hazel and a frown on her lips. She reached over to grab Quinn's hand that wasn't clutching the cassette and led her toward the stairs.

Quinn followed without a fight and looked over her shoulder to see Amy and Nora crowded around the mail. Abby led her quietly to her room and Quinn looked around at the paintings on her sister's walls, realizing that she couldn't remember making some of them. Abigail went into her walk in closet and dragged out a box, went back in to grab one more and an armful of paintings. She set them in the middle of her floor and crossed her arms nervously over her chest as she waited.

Quinn stared at the boxes and the paintings in disbelief. The one on top was of her and Rachel; standing together, staring into each other's eyes. She glanced at the bottom right corner and there was her signature and a date. Like always. She dropped to her knees in front of one of the boxes and opened it. She was met with her and Rachel's faces smiling back up at her and she noted how in love they looked. Similar to how they probably looked this morning.

"Oh my God," she said quietly, the unrelenting tears dripping off her chin and darkening the cardboard. She sifted through the objects with numb hands; tons of pictures, articles of clothing, bundles of loose leaf paper, _entire fucking sketchbooks_. It was real. She actually gave someone permission to erase Rachel Berry from her memory.

Why the _fuck_ would she do that?

Oh _God_, and she had yelled at her and ran away. She felt sick.

Abigail sat down next to her and surprisingly kept quiet as Quinn stared into the box of mementos that brought up nothing more than that faint, confusing sense of déjà _fucking_ vu. No memories. No recognition _at all. _She looked down at the tape still in her hand. Something had to have happened to break them apart. They couldn't have fallen out of love, could they? Rachel's recorded words echoed in her brain. Was she right?

Was Quinn really impossible to love?

She snatched the box up and walked across the hall to drop it off on her bedroom floor. She went back to retrieve the other box and the paintings, ignored Abigail's confused looks, went to her room and shut the door. She set the paintings on the bed and walked over to the old, dusty boom box sitting on her dresser and popped in the tape. This will tell her if it was her fault again. The play button taunted her and she hesitated only slightly before pressing it. A man's voice spoke softly, followed directly by her own.

"_My name is Quinn Fabray and I'm here to erase Rachel Berry."_

Quinn's legs gave out from under her and she sunk to the floor with her back against the bed and her hand covering her mouth. This couldn't be happening. They looked so happy in the pictures. Now Rachel probably wanted nothing to do with her. Her own broken, emotionless voice sounded around the room.

"_When I first met Rachel, I knew right away that I loved her."_

* * *

Rachel pulled up in front of the Fabray household and closed her eyes to build up the courage walk to the door. She really didn't know how welcome she was here anymore, but _nothing _was going to stop her from talking to Quinn. That, unfortunately, didn't stop her from being terrified. After a few encouraging words and deep breaths, she exited the car and slowly walked up the pathway. She took a few more calming breaths once she was face to face with the front door before reaching out to knock on the wood. She tangled her fingers together in an effort to keep them from shaking and when the door opened she gave a startled little jump.

"Rachel," Nora said surprised. Rachel smiled nervously, raising her hand in a little wave.

"Hello," she said quietly. "You must be Nora."

Nora cleared her throat and nodded as she raked her fingers through her hair, exhausted, and stepped to the side to let Rachel in. She closed the door and pointed up the stairs.

"She's in her room."

Rachel nodded gratefully before turning towards the staircase. She glanced into the living room and saw Amy and Abigail talking on the couch. They looked over at her and gave her a small smile which she returned just barely. She climbed up to the second floor and could hear the muffled voices coming from Quinn's bedroom. She raised her and dropped it a couple of times before she just closed her eyes and knocked loud enough for Quinn to be able to hear her. No answer. After an internal debate with herself, she grabbed the doorknob, opened the door, and the first thing she heard was Quinn's voice, loud and clear. Quinn, who was sitting on the floor and _not _talking, twisted her head in her direction and the bloodshot, slightly puffy eyes widened.

"Rachel," she breathed out. "You came."

Rachel closed the bedroom door and walked forward to take a seat on the edge of Quinn's bed, a foot of space between her legs and the blonde's arm. "Of course I did."

There was a lull in the conversation and Rachel reached into one of the boxes to pull out a sketchbook that had a drawing of her embossed on the cover as they listened to Quinn's voice permeating from the speakers. She opened it up and traced her finger over the words written on the inside.

_I love you_ – _Rachel Berry. _Her signature gold star sticker at the end.

"_She's so perfect and I'm so broken. I don't know why she wasted her time with me. I don't know why I let everyone convince me that I was worthy of her. I'm obviously not because the one person who hurt her the most was _me."

"I think you're perfect," Rachel whispered, still staring at her words in the sketchbook.

Quinn looked up at her blankly before getting to her feet and turning off the boom box. They didn't need to listen to this. She looked down to the ground as the first awkward silence fell over them. Perfect? Quinn? That's was preposterous. She took a deep breath and looked up into Rachel's eyes, letting the words tumble from her mouth at their own will.

"I cheated on my last boyfriend by losing my virginity to the girl that was in love with me. Then I had sex with him later that same day," the tears welled up rapidly in her eyes as she whispered one of her darkest secret. She couldn't explain _why _she was telling Rachel any of this, but it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders that she couldn't find it in her to care that she was pouring out her insecurities to girl she hardly knew. "I'll hurt you because I'm fickle and the guilt that still settles in me will cause me to do stupid things. It's hard for me to take care of other people's hearts because I'm too scared of dropping it." She looked back down at her feet and whispered so quietly, she could see Rachel lean the slightest bit forward to hear her. "I'm not good for you."

Rachel just stared at her. She closed the sketchbook in her lap and set it to the side before getting up to stand in front of Quinn. She waited until Quinn met her eyes before speaking.

"I talk too much," she admitted quietly, "I'm controlling, arrogant, overbearing, annoying and can be quite selfish. I'm can be vindictive before I'm rational. I'm impulsive and dramatic." She bit her lip as she studied Quinn's guarded expression. "Do those aspects make me undesirable to you?"

"No," Quinn answered immediately before she blushed and looked away. To her, Rachel was hardly any of those things, and the aspects that were actually accurate were completely endearing. Rachel smiled at her, stepping a little bit forward and lessening the space between them.

"I feel the same way," she whispered. "I still like you, Quinn. Your past doesn't deter me because we all make stupid mistakes when we're young. And even if you're fickle, even if you can break my heart worse than anyone else can, even after all the shit that we've learned today, I stillwant to be with you." She clenched her fist by her sides, wishing desperately for Quinn's eyes to meet hers, but with no success. She frowned. "Do you – do you still want to be with me?"

Quinn bit her lip and didn't answer. After a painful moment of silence, Rachel let out a shaky breath and nodded her head resolutely. She could feel her heart cracking in her chest, but she was determined to not break down. Not here. She cleared her throat.

"Okay then," she breathed out, stepping away and giving Quinn her space. "I guess – I'm j-just going to go now."

She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the photo strip of the two of them. She looked at it one last time, etching into her memory their happy faces, before placing it carefully on Quinn's dresser. She looked at Quinn's face again and her eyes still wouldn't look at her, too preoccupied with tracing over the picture.

"Bye, Quinn."

She wasn't sure if Quinn had heard her quiet whisper and she couldn't stay in this room much longer to wait for a reaction if she wished to contain her tears while still in the house. She turned on her heel and wanted to rush to the door, but her feet refused to cooperate with her wishes as they moved at a dragging pace. She gripped the doorknob and began to pull open the door as the rebel tears dripped down her cheeks anyway.

A hand reached over her shoulder and pushed the door closed again. Rachel leaned her forehead against the wood and a sob tumbled from her lips as a wave of relief washed over her.

"Don't leave," was whispered into her ear and a pale hand settled on her hip. "Please, don't leave me."

Rachel turned around and met Quinn's desperate eyes directly in front of hers. Her eyes darted between the hazel orbs, looking for an answer that will tell her if they still had a chance.

"I have to know, Quinn," she said quietly, gripping onto the arm that was connected to her hip. "I need to know if the feeling is mutual or if I'm just wasting my time pining after you."

Quinn closed her eyes and leaned their foreheads together. The feeling was _so _mutual. There was no doubt about it. But the chance of hurting Rachel again terrified her. Could she risk it? Was happiness worth it? She shook her head softly against Rachel's; ignoring that thought and deciding to just answer truthfully.

"I know that I loved you more than anyone else in my life when we were a couple."

Rachel's lips lifted up into a hopeful smile and her other hand reached up to play with the small hairs at the nape of Quinn's neck.

"Do you love me _now_?"

Their hearts pounded in their chests at the question and there was a clear answer that beat with it. But it's been a _day _that she's known Rachel, or actually remembered her. Quinn swallowed against the lump in her throat.

"It's too soon."

"And if it wasn't too soon, what would you say?"

Quinn opened her eyes to stare into the pleading brown eyes. The thought of lying flickered through her brain before she immediately discarded it. Lying to Rachel was the last thing she wanted to do, so she leaned forward and connected their lips in a soft, slow kiss. Their mouths moved together like a perfected dance and it felt so _right. _So _perfect. _They pulled apart breathlessly and Quinn tucked a stray strand of hair behind Rachel's ear.

"Yes," she whispered against her lips. Rachel was beaming in front of her and it was the greatest feeling to be the cause of it.

"I feel the same way."

Another silence fell over them, but this time it was charged with a thick energy. It caused the small hairs to stand in attention on their body and their flesh to erupt into goose bumps when their skin would brush against each other. Quinn wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist and pulled her into a tight hug, breathing in a scent that was so familiar to her, that feeling of love swelled proudly in her chest. Rachel's embrace? That's exactly where she wanted to be. But the recordings still echoed faintly in her brain and she couldn't help but feel apprehensive about their (potential?) relationship. She gripped the back of Rachel's jacket in her hands.

"Do you think we can make this work?" she asked quietly. She pulled away to be able to look into Rachel's eyes, needing to see the emotion that swirled clearly in them. "After everything that's already happened . . . do you think we can last forever this time?"

Rachel was nodding before she even finished the second question. Her eyes were determined. This relationship _had _to work.

"I do think we can last forever," she whispered, her eyes boring into Quinn's. "I believe we need each other to be able to live happily ever after."

Quinn bit her lip and she stared at the honesty shining in Rachel's eyes. She wanted to believe that. She desperately wanted that to be true because she wanted Rachel with her forever. But it was almost too good to be true. Rachel seemed to sense this internal debate because she cupped her cheek to get Quinn to focus of her, on the here and _now. _

"What if we just worry about making each other happy?" she asked quietly and shrugged her shoulder, "What if we forget about everything and just start over?"

Quinn chuckled at the irony of the statement. After a moment of contemplation, she nodded. That sounded like a splendid idea. If they could just get past their obviously turbulent past, it they could forget their insecurities and just focus on each other, then they could have the greatest relationship in the world. They could get through the déjà vus together. They could experience perfect happiness.

They could revel in their true love.

Quinn chuckled again. They must be a strange, wonderful sight with their tear streaked faces and blinding smiles. Two people who were practically strangers wrapped in a loving embrace. It was beautiful.

She kissed the tip of Rachel's nose.

"Hello," she whispered. "I'm Quinn Fabray."

Rachel giggled tearfully. She cleared her throat.

"Why, hello, Quinn Fabray. My name is Rachel Berry. It's nice to meet you."

Their smiles grew. The roller coaster of emotions exhausted them today, but they agreed silently that it was completely worth it. And they wouldn't change anything for the world. They met in a soft, loving kiss, sealing their fate.

Quinn pulled away, the biggest smile on her face and her arms wrapped so tightly around Rachel's waist, no one would be able to take her from her. She leaned forward to kiss Rachel on herforehead.

"It's nice to meet you too."

**Fin. **

* * *

**A/N (this will be long): And there you have it. I know it's a month late . . . but who the fuck cares, because it is finished. My first ever multi chapter fiction completed. I've lost too much sleep and missed a lot of information in my classes over this story, but it was **_**completely **_**worth it. I almost don't know what to do with myself.**

**Thank you so much to those who followed this story, especially if you've been following it since the very beginning, a year ago. Thank you to those who favorited and alerted and told your friends about this story. Thank you to those who reviewed, especially those that reviewed nearly all of the chapters. You guys were my favorites. Just, God, thanks for liking this story. **

**I know there were some things Quinn and Rachel didn't get explained to them in this chapter, but I felt it was unbelievable if they got **_**all **_**of their answers in the first hour or so of discovering that they had their memories erased. Also, another reason, I was **_**thinking **_**about writing a sequel, further into the future and possibly through the point of view of Abigail. But, again, it was just a thought. And if anyone is wondering why I ended the fic there, well, that's sort of but not really how the movie ends. Except, I think my ending is a bit more satisfying, but I'm biased as fuck. **

**Actually, I have a number of stories that are being thought of so maybe I'll leave it up to the responses I get. There's a couple of Harry Potter (of course) crossover ideas: a one shot about the Quidditch tournament in which all four members of Faberry and Brittana are each on a different house team (which would be **_**fluff)**_**, and a multi chapter story of Rachel and Quinn meeting as prisoners in Azkaban right before all of the inmates break out in the fifth book (which will not be fluff). There's a vampire fic that's a sorta maybe prequel to Watch the Sunrise. There's a werewolf story I was also thinking of. I thought about writing something that wasn't completely AU, but, uh, can't think of any. So those are the choices. I've already started working on half of them actually. **

**I usually don't ask for reviews straight up, but dammit, this is my first completed multi-chapter story. And after about 320 **_**pages **_**(holy shit, I wrote a fucking novel) of writing, I want to know how well I did. Hell, the longer the review, the better so don't apologize for rambling, because lord knows I'm an expert at that. And for those that say that **_**Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind **_**is one of their favorite movies of all time (like me), I want to know how this story compares to it and if it did it the right justice. For those who haven't seen the movie, see the movie and then tell me what you think. I will warn you though; you'll be getting almost a completely different story. The premise is the same, but that's probably it, even the meaning behind the titles are different. But, no, really, you don't have to watch the movie. You don't have to review. Just tell your friends about this story :D**

**No, just kidding. You just have to read, ponder and enjoy. **

**Okay, I think this author's note is long enough. Thanks for reading through it if you did. I love you all, I really do. **

**Have a wonderful day.**

**Thank you.**


End file.
